Seven years after being exiled to hot, dusty West Texas, I am finally heading back to the place that I think of as “home.” For those of you that don’t know, I grew up in a remote part of northern New Hampshire, just a little south of the Quebec border…one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I always knew that the place I lived was beautiful, but I don’t think I fully appreciated it until I moved into the brown, hot, flatness that is West Texas.

While I’ve learned to appreciate the unique and subtle beauty that West Texas possesses (especially the sunsets and sunrises), I am really looking forward to seeing the mountains and billions of trees that I remember from my childhood. We’ll get to visit with extended family, bask in the cool temperatures (it’s supposed to be 70-80 the whole time, compared to last weekend’s 104 in Texas!) and spend a few days in Maine camping at our traditional family camping spot – Hermit Island. I have so many great memories, and I can’t wait to show Joel all of the sites from my stories. I really hope that it’s as beautiful as I remember it, and that I haven’t just built it up to be bigger than life in my head.

Maybe it isn’t “home” anymore, but it’s still a really special place. I’m glad to have the opportunity to go back, with Joel and with my whole family. This may be one of the last times that we get to spend an extended period of time with my family before heading to China, and I hope to relive a lot of our old family stories and memories and make many new ones along the way. I think we’re going to have a blast… check back in a few weeks for pictures and new stories of our New England adventures!