For Mary, With Love

I don't really have much to write about now that I'm back in good old Amurca, but my friend Mary is apparently bored out of her skull and has asked me to post something (anything!) for her to read.  I do this for her and no one else, because she is still stuck in India, and people stuck in India deserve a little special treatment.

Anyway, as you may or may not know, upon my return from India, I decided to hop around the USA for a while visiting friends and family (yes, it is a very luxurious life that I lead).  My first stop was to see the Correnti family in Missouri.  Because they are so powerful and influential, they had held Christmas for us until we arrived in March.  They also held our birthdays.  They're that big of a deal.  It was really fun visiting with everyone and, of course, opening all our goodies.

 

Boom.  Christmas in March.  

After MO, Matt had to head off to Kansass (that's intentional) for a short assignment, so I went to visit Aura in Oregon.  I spent most of my time helping decorate the restaurant Aura and her boyfriend are opening up.  It's going to be really awesome.  I like to think I had a lot to do with that.  Mostly Aura and I worked on this little creation:  

 

This is our hand-stenciled rug that we painted onto the floor of the dining room.  Impressed?  I thought so.

Later, Mom came to Oregon to visit and we drove the coastal road from Ashland, OR to San Francisco.  It takes about 10 hours, but we did it in three days.  No, no one has ever accused the Streett family of being very timely.  We saw some really beautiful views of the coast, and drove along the "Avenue of the Giants" through the Redwood National Park.  

 

View of the coast in Crescent City, CA.  

 

Redwoods.  

Before you get too jealous, the weather was really kind of terrible for our trip - mostly rainy and cold the entire time.  But.... it was still pretty incredible.  

 

My specialty, the handheld shot.  We took about a hundred of these, and this is one of the best - which should tell you just how bad the other ones are.  

Finally, the rain stopped, and Mother Nature brought us a little something special:  

 

"It's so intense.  It's beginning to look like a triple rainbow."

When we finally reached San Francisco, Mom had to leave, but Matt showed up and brought amazing weather with him!  Call me nerdy and uninventive, but the only thing I really wanted to do in San Francisco was tour Alcatraz, so I dragged Aura and Matt along with me.  It turned out to be even better than I thought!  Definitely the best guided tour I've been on (so far).  

 

A couple of nerds at Alcatraz.  

After San Francisco, Aura went home, and Matt and I flew to Arkansas to visit the Streett family.  (Don't worry, I'm almost done.)  I stayed for almost two weeks driving all over the state to see anyone and everyone I've ever met, which is my custom.  Every time I get back from AR, I say "I'm not ever doing that again.  Next time, I'm going to make all of them come see me."  But I never do.  It probably has something to do with me not having a job unlike everyone else.  Anyway, as I suspected, the Streett family is getting on just fine without me.  In fact, they are flourishing.  Will is turning 15(!) in August and wants to get a car, and Bella is the most well-spoken 3-year-old I've ever seen.  It is slightly depressing to see how well they manage when I'm not around... but of course I wouldn't have it any other way.  (Except maybe they could call me crying once in a while... "Cait!  We MISS you!  We are falling apart without you!" But that's just an example.  I want them to make up their own grievances when they call).  

 

All my little chilluns in a row.  From left:  Will, his brother Austin, Mason and his sister Bella. 

And finally, after more than a month of touring Amurca, I returned home to Chicago, the crappy weather, and my husband.  Thus ends my saga, and now I must ask you, Mary:  Are you not entertained?