Homesick

Lately I've been feeling rather homesick. Not in a way that I miss living at home, just that I miss the people back home. Especially my family. I think this has a lot to do with the birth of my first nephew, Phillip. It's hard being so far away and feeling like I am missing everything. I would love to be a part of all the little milestones. Even just weekend afternoons spent by my cousins pool, or impromptu dinners with family, and spontaneous pedicures or hikes on a sunny day. Even though they are simple, every day things, they're what I miss most.

I've mentioned before how close my family is. Not just my immediate family, but my extended family as well. When I lived at home I saw them very frequently. And for a while, we even had weekly dinners. Now that I'm in San Francisco, it is hard to miss those things. I can't help but feel left out sometimes.

But on the flip side. I chose to move to San Francisco. And in all honesty, I have never been happier. I absolutely love living here with Andrew, and I wouldn't change a thing. But sometimes it's hard, and I do miss my family a lot.

I went to a friend ,who also moved away from her family, for advice. And she helped me see that, I'm not the only who has felt this way. Her advice was to put in the effort, even if my instinct was to pull away. She said, as much as it may suck, be the one to make the plans, pin down weekends, and get time together on the calendar. We're all busy and I need to make it a priority, even if it feels like I'm the one putting in extra effort, that's not what really matters. What matters is that we find time to spend together. So I am going to start making a big effort to reach out to family and try to plan time to spend with them. I miss that feeling of closeness, and would like to try and get some of that back, even if I am a few hours away. Thankfully, technology has made it much easier to keep in touch. And with picture and video messaging I get fun updates of my nephew, which are always the highlight of my day.

In addition to my close knit family, I have a number of very close friends that still live in the foothills. On the weekends when I do make it home, it's really hard to leave family, and squeeze in time to see everyone. A weekend just doesn't seem to be enough time. But these are friendships I've had for most of my life, and are very important to me. So it's hard when I notice that we're slowly losing touch. I know this happens when you move away, and I'm thankful for the friendships I have where we can pick up right where we left off. But I do wish I could spend more time with all of them. I want to plan some time this summer that I can dedicate to catching up, and reconnecting with them.

Has anyone else struggled with this after moving away from friends and family? What things have you found make it easier?

Before I start sounding too much like "Debbie Downer," I did have a wonderful time at home this weekend and got to spend some much needed time with family. I can't believe how big Phillip has gotten, and how he has changed since I saw him last. He will be 3 months old on Friday, I can't believe it.

We had a nice brunch at my parents on Sunday to celebrate Fathers Day and my Mom's birthday. My sister, and two cousins Brendan and Jason came up. It was really fun to see them, but we missed having Josh there. Phillip was definitely the center of attention. He just LOVES his cousin Jason, and laughs and laughs when he talks to him. It was the cutest thing. We all just kind of sat around watching Phillip and talking. It was wonderful.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend, my parents will be down Friday night and spend the day with us Saturday. I can't wait for them to see our place, and meet Louis! I'm going to really try and make an effort to keep planning time to see both family and friends so I don't feel so disconnected from that part of my life. Because even though I moved away, and am starting a new chapter of my life here with Andrew, it doesn't mean that the foothills and the people there are any less a part of who I am.

My new favorite picture. Ever. Isn't he the cutest?

He rubs his head and I think it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen

He loves his Mamma! 

With my cousins Jason and Brendan

 

Dad with his daughters and first grand baby
Horrible camera angle, but still cute

xoxo,

Theresa