Family ties

I'm heading up to NY in a few hours to spend some good quality time with my family. Living away from home makes you really enjoy and savor the little time you get to have when you're in the same city for a few days. And not just from my perspective either. It's amazing to see the look on my father's face when he opens the door for me at home. After a nice embrace, he takes my bags out of my hands and proceeds to carry it upstairs for me and places it in my room. And then when my brother and sister come home to complete the triumverate, he gets all giddy. Parents spend all these years raising their children, looking forward to the day when they all leave home, and then they bust your chops everyday asking when you're planning to come home. Ironic, ain't it?

The highlight of my trip this weekend will be seeing my 1-month old nephew, Gabe, for the first time in 3.5 weeks. I spent a total of 3 days with him last month, and as soon as I left him to return to DC, I started to miss him terribly. And everytime I speak to my sister or brother-in-law, I can hear Gabe cooing in the background, and my heart jumps, missing him more. How is it possible to have so much love for someone I've only known for 3 days? I'll make sure to post pictures of the little cutie when I get back.

I'm sure I'll be back with some interesting stories to relay. That's NY for ya...