Home Again

Well my friends, it's been quite some time since I've written here. Mostly it's because I've been insanely busy and of course there is that other constant reason...laziness. I also suspect that none of you will be reading this now that I'm not living in another country. "Tales from Salem" doesn't quite have that captivating ring to it.

I can't really remember the blur that is the last week in CASA. We saw some members for final goodbyes, we partied a lot, and gave many hugs before I got in the car to head to the airport. Even thinking about it now makes me very sad. They were my family for a year. The 20 hours it took me to get home were brutal. I hadn't cried at all until the end of the flight movie "The Blind Side." The guy sitting next to me probably thought I was a little to worked up about the kid making it big time in the NFL. Three flights later I finally made it to the Portland airport to find the entire eight people in my immediate family. I can't tell you how nice it was to see them all again, especially my little nephews who were way too big in my opinion.

The last month and a half has been filled with seeing friends and developing a relationship. Weird how different things are now... I'm looking for a job, with a few possibilities at the moment. I'm trying to reconnect with friends. It's interesting to come back and see people because I've learned who my close friends are and who my more casual friends are. There are groups that once I walked in the door I was right back in the swing of things. Then there are groups that I still feel sort of outside of...as if that year was enough to make the connections weaken. I was surprised at some of these, although really it all makes sense. Of course there are going to be people that I just don't relate to as well anymore. I supposed I've changed a bit this past year, and I know that many of my friends have changed as well.

Overall coming home has been really nice. I'll admit my heart is still aching to find it's next adventure. But for now I'll work on the whole "normal life" thing... How bad could that be? :)

Thanks for keeping up with me in the last year. I hope I brought you a bit of entertainment mixed in with what started as a place for me to keep my memories. I think I might still update this from time to time. It's therapeutic in a way.

Take care, all,
Claire