i've got the look

i felt the blog needed a new look since we've been on an updating binge around our house this summer. is it too pink? too girly? eh, it'll do for now.

the kids and i got back from wv yesterday. we had a great time.

the drive up there wasn't bad at all and coming through the last tunnel i popped in the john denver cd--almost heaven--and felt that same feeling i always get coming out of the tunnel and entering wv. i get choked up, emotionally and physically. i feel myself getting flushed or tingly or something, i can't describe it. it's the same feeling i get when i first walk into a great art museum and see paintings i recognize.

i don't ever imagine that we'll move to wv, and i don't necessarily want to live there again, but it is such a part of my soul. and even though i went to college there, it's not even about the time i spent there then, it's about the childhood memories and the feelings of appreciation for the mountains and the natural beauty.

we spent the week at one of my aunt/uncle's house. i have two left who live in wv, along w/ my last remaining grandparent and some cousins.

we went camping (in a camper w/ electricity and running water and all the amenities of home--quite the contrast from our tent camping earlier this summer) one night w/ my aunt. the campground is filled w/ people who keep their campers there year round. they've built decks, planted flowers, have dish tv, etc. it's weird but fun just the same. almost everyone has a golf cart to get around in. the kids drove the golf cart, we swam at the campground pool, went down to the river to skip stones, etc.

we also went to visit my (and my aunt's) alma mater, marshall university. i know that i've driven by the campus maybe once or twice since graduating, but that was the first time i'd been on campus since 1990. they've built a new stadium and added several buildings. both kids decided they want to go to school there, and, while a small part of me would be excited and proud for them to walk in my footsteps, i really want them to go to a college that best fits them and what they want to do in life. i told them both this, several times.

******************
i had a wonderful time w/ the hubs last night. after the kids went to bed we sat on our new couch in the living room (it's chocolate brown and not a cat scratch on it thank you very much) and we imbibed in a little mary jane and talked for hours. we came to realize that we have a lot of stuff in the house that neither of us really cares for. nick knacks, pictures etc. that we'd each just let be because we thought the other really liked it. we started de-assing last night and finished up some today. the dining room table is piled w/ stuff to box up and put in the attic. it was like an episode of an hgtv show when the designer comes in and removes about have the shit you have sitting around collecting dust and voila, your house looks much much better. aside from the clutter stuff we just talked for hours.

personally i think the hubs and i are great communicators compared to so many other relationships i see. we enjoy being w/ each other. we talk to each other. i think that some couples drift apart the longer they're together and i think the hubs and i are just the opposite. we started out as friends, became best friends, dated, got married and through the years we just keep drawing closer and closer together.

***************
tomorrow we're puttering around the house and packing because monday we're going to the beach! happily the hubs is coming on this trip. we're just going for a few days, but oh....i cannot wait to see the ocean. i love the beach in the morning and evening, and love hearing the waves at night. i love the smell and the sound and the feeling of.....unimportance? i feel. when you stand there, looking at such a huge expanse of sheer, natural power i'm always reminded that i'm just a speck, just a blip on the earth's surface. it's sort of grounding to be there, puts things in perspective.