The Fever

Every time I spend a weekend in Maine I come home and start half-heartedly perusing job listings up north. And every time I see my employment options, well, that straightens me out right quick. It is not practical for me to want to move to Maine, and there are lots of reasons I'm very attached to my current home, from the home itself to the city to the good friends we have made here. It's not just the job. Also, I don't want move farther away from Mike's family. But I can't shake the feeling that I belong back in the Pine Tree State. Not just because most of my family's there, I mean, that's a big part of it, but there is something about the place that has a hold over me for reasons I can't define and can't ignore. If I get to retire, maybe. Or if I win the lottery I'll establish a second residence. Barring those things, it's not all that far away, so we visit as much as we can. It's just always so dang hard to leave.

We had a really spectacular weekend up tha coast. To his credit, HR handled all the car travel pretty well, and has been solid as a rock with his potty training, even out of his element. We have to cart his duck potty everywhere because he refuses to entertain the idea of the Big Potty but I will carry that thing along until he's 20 until I have to because he uses it. I invite no superstition when I say that we've got us a housebroken boy.

Friday night we had a really fun night out in the city with my sibs and some friends, courtesy of the grandparental sitters' network. The rest of the time we hopped from one graduation party to the next, half enjoying/half complaining in the brutal heat and humidity. I think I might have drunk my weight in Miller Lite, and that's how summertime rolls. Mike had to come back to work on Saturday, which was a bummer, but I soldiered on in his stead, buoyed along by the kindness of my sister's hosting and my brother-in-law and father's driving skills. I'm so happy we had the chance to see everyone.

And now we're home and no matter how great it is to be in our own space doing our own thing, I'd always go back in a heartbeat. And actually, there are only a few thousand heartbeats until my next visit--a bittersweet, but much awaited one--for Niki's memorial.

All in all, I'm feeling good today, even on a Monday. At this point in my life, I've lived in Massachusetts longer than I lived there, but Maine will always be home to me. For the record, though, I'm not going anywhere, any time soon.