Lessons learned from a long weekend

I went to NC this weekend. I met Meredith and baby Ben, and caught up with E, Buzz, R, L, A and J. Good times. This is what I learned.

1. Mountains, no matter how big (the West) or how small (the East) -- I miss them. I think I almost like the Eastern ones better though. They seem more attainable, more real. The ones out West are breathtaking but almost incomprehensible from too close.

2. Baby Ben is a great kid. I enjoyed holding him, once I got up the courage, and L taught me a lot about newborns and all the related care of them. But I'm not ready to have one yet. I'll content myself with others.

3. E has a way of talking to people that makes them want to open up. It even works on me. I think talking to her does a lot of souls good.

4. If seeing E, L, R and Buzz can make a girl feel so complete, maybe she's long overdue for a trip to Utah. (I'll see if I can work this into the schedule.)

5. I'm tired of winter. Coming back from sunny and (relatively) warm NC, I hit a wall of snow a few miles south of home. It snowed for a day or so after that, and it's cold. Brrr! The snow I don't mind. The humidity and cold is trying.