Past

Today was a really busy day. Mom had an appointment in Silver Spring, and so I got up early so I could drive her since Dad got stuck coming back from a business trip. After her appointment we stopped at a Panera for food, and as we were going to sit down I noticed a girl that I used to run track with walking out. I don't think she would have recognized me, and I can't be certain that it was her, but I'm pretty sure that it was. After we ate we had to go pick up a package from the FedEx warehouse in Alexandria.

So, we got on 495 and headed east to Franconia. We picked up the package and kept driving on Franconia down to the Van Dorn exit to get back on 495 - which meant, of course, driving down Van Dorn past the townhouse development where we used to live. It was the first time I'd been by there since we moved to Ohio, and I almost felt like an intruder just driving through. 8 years goes by a lot more quickly than I'd realized. Oddly enough, the first thing to pop into my head while we were driving down Franconia was the awful crush I had on Chris Paul in 7th grade. Anyway.

Overall, it was a good day. I got to spend time with my mom, and then later I got to spend time with my brother when we went to go pick up a dessert for Father's Day dinner. Dad got back from his trip, and the family went out to dinner. The whole family doesn't get to be together that often, and it was really wonderful to just enjoy everyone's company. He and Mom showed me the art they bought recently, and I really like most of it. I also got to hear about their continuing plans to install a media server, touchscreens, etc. all over the house...it's good to hear that they're finding projects and keeping busy doing stuff.

It was strange seeing bits and pieces of the past earlier - I'm not really a part of anything now that I was then, but they're still all pieces of me. I do wonder what it's like for people who have lived in the same place for their entire life to go visit home - I'm always really flooded with memories and emotions when I see places from a long time ago, and in some ways I like that I didn't really grow up or spend any real time at my parents' current place. It makes the house seem like a pleasant retreat without the emotional pangs of memory. Right now I really want to drive back to my place, and be somewhere even more familiar and recent, in spite of how awesome today was.