Visitors!

DF and I are getting ready to host his dad and step-mom for the next few days here at our cozy apartment. Hooray for visitors! We did have a friend who came and stayed overnight back in June, but since then no one has made it to Memphis. We're trying to think of all the best sights that they need to see during their visit, and perhaps we'll hit some that are off the beaten path.

While we were out in the Northwest last month, we experienced some excellent hospitality. I should have taken notes so I'd be prepared to be a hostess! Let's see, at my parents' house, the motto seemed to be "feed 'em till their pants don't fit anymore." I mean, it was Christmas and all, so there was an overabundance of goodies that needed to be eaten... :)  My cousin showed us some educational internet videos. Up in Seattle, a friend introduced us to a hip restaurant. And of course, there were plenty of board games to be played.

So if I take lessons learned there, I should feed my guests well, expand their minds, and try to cater to their hobbies. Oh yeah, and clean sheets and towels are always nice. Ok, I think I'm ready!

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

Thanks to an extended holiday trip, the blog was on hiatus. Now it's time to unpack all the thoughts that have been floating around in my brain!

I keep coming back to this thought: It's nice to be with people who know you. There were several times during the trip, whether we were in a group of family or friends, where I could just be myself, say what I was thinking, and everybody got it. I didn't have to explain the backstory because they already knew it. I just felt comfortable and at ease. Ahhhh :)  

When it was time to fly home to Memphis, I didn't really want to leave the Northwest. I mean, it's the land of water, mountains, good coffee, and people who already know me! I'm such a bad exchange student...I should be embracing my new culture instead of trying to live in my old one. 

So back we came, to the land of wild temperature fluctuation, good BBQ, and people I'm trying to get to know. 

A few photos of the journey...

Sun setting over the Willamette River

The best coffee I've had in a long time

Goodbye, Mt. Rainier! Until we meet again...