Crafts, Mountains, and Tears

There were three things at home that surprised me.

Number 1 - My Mom's Craft Room
About ten years ago my mom started to get into scrapbooking and more recently she has started making cards. She's really good at it and has only recently started to realize this. I think my decision to move to England helped her with this discovery as she's now able to devote more space to her hobby. Within forty-eight hours of me leaving home, she had finished packing the few belongings that remained in my room, except for my photography on the walls, and changed my bedroom into a room devoted to her paper crafts. I heard about the transformation a while ago but had no idea it was so dramatic. She has created her own little haven from the stresses of the outside world and, as much as I laugh at the complete takeover of what was formerly my space, I'm so glad she has a room devoted to her hobby.

The green lamp on the left is one of my most beloved posessions.
I picked it up from a church garage sale for five dollars when I was a teenager - it originally belonged to the brother of an old, retired missionary at our church. I actually saw it in the back of a truck, was told I had to wait until the next day to buy it, and held out cash so they sold it to me on the spot. My mom taught me how to rewire it and I love it! Something about it reminds me of a lighthouse and it looks extra-fabulous when lit up.

Even the closet is full of orderly drawers and shelves full of craft supplies.

Number 2 - The Mountains
I used to think I appreciated the scenery around the lower mainland in British Columbia, but I had no idea how spoiled I was. The ring of mountains surrounding the area is unbelievable. The mountains are everywhere, but when you see them every day they blend into the surroundings. I used to only noticed them on particularly brilliant days when the sun glistened on the snow and the sky behind the peaks was bright blue. I had no idea how much I missed the mountains until I was back in them. I've heard from friends who live on the prairies that they feel claustrophibic when they're on the coast. They feel hemmed in by mountains, trees, and ocean. The things that make them feel stifled make me feel like I'm enveloped by a warm hug.

The view from the Port Mann Bridge.

Driving into Langley and shocked by the peaks in the distance.

Number 3 - My Tears... or lack thereof
Being home for almost three weeks was both wonderful and difficult. Although I loved being with my family again, there was an odd mixture of emotions and it was tough to sort them out. I don't think I ever really figured it out. For my last few days at home I was on the brink of tears for much of the time and on my final day I leaned my head on the table at lunch and moaned, "Somebody please just do something to make me cry so I can let it out and be done with it." My mom stroked my hair and said, "Aw, sweetie," as my dad started making loud sniffling noises, claiming the soup was making his nose run as he grinned at me. He has a tough time taking emotional people seriously, but he wilts when we actually start crying. Mom and I laughed at him as we told him he was being a jerk but he wouldn't stop. The combination of seeing their personalities so clearly - my mom's compassion and my dad's humour - made the tears finally fall and dad's compassion kicked in right on cue. Someone made the suggestion that we go play with the Wii so the three of us were soon downstairs and me and my mom played some kind of outdoor adventure game. It was a good way to vent the pent-up energy, although an odd way to finish up my time at home... although I suppose an odd activity is my favourite way to spend time with my family so it was a fitting end to the visit.

I grabbed a couple of scoops of Fudgy Wudgy ice cream on my way out the door to the airport - it's one of my favourite flavours of ice cream sold at Edaleen Dairy and I needed one final serving of ice cream before leaving home. Chocolate ice cream with swirls of soft fudge. None of the chunky fudge swirls like in cheap, grocery store ice cream. Smooth, light swirls that complement the chocolate ice cream instead of overwhelming it. Yes, my family takes our ice cream seriously!

My parents and Jonathan came along to the airport and waited with me until it was time to go through security. Getting a few tears out earlier in the day seemed to help and by the time I got to the airport my head and heart were already moving back to my life in England and I didn't cry. Knowing my parents are coming for a visit in April or May also made it much easier to say goodbye. I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting to bawl my eyes out.