The last day

The tour of food finally concluded today. Grandma made blueberry pancakes, I had a salad at the Pyramid Brewery Alehouse and tomato basil soup, crab cakes and creme brulé at Skates.

So as stuffed as I thought I was last week, today was the topper. If I stayed any longer, I seriously doubt I'd be able to fit in my seat on the plane. Let's see if I can recap where we ate this week:

Wednesday: Genki
Thursday: Breakfast at home, dinner at home
Friday: Breakfast at home, lunch at Norikonoko, dinner at Macaroni Grille
Saturday: Breakfast at home, lunch at Merritt Restaurant, dinner at Souzhou
Sunday: NO BREAKFAST, wedding reception food catered by Shai
Monday: Blueberry pancakes, salad at Pyramid, crab cakes at Skates

It doesn't look like a lot, but it was a ton of food. Actually kinda excited to start eating less!

***

The end of vacation is always leaves me with mixed feelings. On one hand, it's great to be back home with your stuff, in your environment with your people. On the other hand, since I'm leaving family, that makes it tough.

It comes down to the fact I hate goodbyes.

I never considered myself a sentimental person. But after the divorce, I realized how important friends and family are -- especially after basically ignoring them while I was with the ex. Maybe not ignoring them; it was more of thinking all we needed was each other and not paying as much attention to family. That all changed.

Family and friends are who kept me sane before, during and after the divorce. You can't do something like that on your own. And it's a tough thing to realize you can't do it by yourself. Most people like to be independent, want to do it on their own. But there comes a time when you realize it's OK to lean on other folks. You just need to remember to be there when they need you.

Recognizing the importance of family makes it that much tougher to leave. Some of it has to do with mortality; my grandparents aren't going to live forever. And I don't want to borrow trouble, but flying a private plane is dangerous. But you can't worry; you have to trust/believe things will work out the way they're supposed to. In that sense, I'm in denial; I don't think about it.

Goodbyes are bad because I don't want the moment to end, at least when I'm saying bye to Scott. The more time I've spent away from mom, the tougher it's been for me to leave, or see her off. None of it is really easy. But it does make sense; we surround ourselves with those we love -- or love us. You don't miss people you dislike.

I don't think I'd have the appreciation I have now if I lived in the area. But unlike the last time I left the Bay Area, I have someone to go home to. I have people I want to see. And I'm actually returning to a place that feels like home.

Some big city girl I turned out to be.