5th avenue, NYC.
Ironic that I finally adapted to EST on our last night in Manhattan and now, here I sit back in Los Angeles awake too early. That bitch insomnia is laughing her ass off at the injustice that I feel and I'm trying to relish the quiet that is our sleepy beach town. Welcome, after the mad-dash rush that is NYC.
I cried yesterday as we entered the midtown tunnel on our way to the airport. A quick look back at the skyline and my eyes welled with tears; I love NYC so much, it truly holds my heart. Mark my words, we will live there again someday.
It was a good vacation for all of us. Miss A is satiated after a week in New Jersey with her besties and we had a much needed reprieve from parenting and really, responsibility, something M and I needed oh so much.
We ate and drank and then ate and drank some more. We saw our friends and it felt like we'd never left; picking up right where we left off 14 months ago, making me incredibly nostalgic for all of our peeps that we left behind.
Funny, that nostalgia wasn't present when we were packing up the last of our belongings at our house in NJ. Thursday we had to finish all that up and I felt an intense relief that we were done with that house and that life. Miss A cried her eyes out, (this house will always feel like home to her), and I had to squish my desire to jump up and down screaming, 'we're free..." so intense was my gratitude that we were out of there.
I did exactly what I wanted for the week. I walked and talked with friends and it was cathartic in my healing process. Being heard, knowing that my words weren't too intense, or harsh or anything other than what I needed to say, was incredibly empowering. I feel lighter than I have in months and I love everyone so much for giving me that space. Truly, I am blessed with good friends that will listen and still love me afterwards.
Re-entry is always hard, but I'm glad to be home. I love our life here in Los Angeles. We're a better version of ourselves here, (even miss A), and I know that we'll always have Manhattan as our go-to vacation destination. Although next time, it will definitely be early Fall or early Summer. NYC is a bit much in the dog-days of August and while the stench of the subway and streets is achlingly familiar, the fresh ocean breeze is preferred.
