On at least ‘slowing down’ to smell the roses.

These holidays have flown.  I literally mean FLOWN. 

Normally, I go stir crazy over winter break because I don’t have a ‘job’, my hometown is settled in small suburbs of Long Island and in the past, it’s taken a lot of work to get together with friends.

Now that I have had many ‘collectivist jobs’ (revamp the basement, getting 1 mile runs in almost every morning, organize a state Continuing Education course and other events as a Chair for my International Committee, making/wrapping/buying holiday gifts and food, calling Doctors about imaging/appointments/findings) and just accepted seeing my friends for their company without having to do something fun and crazy new (I’m used to the so much to see and so little time mentality from an urban atmosphere), I haven’t allowed my mind and body to settle and bubble up with boredom.

Always the busy bee, I never feel done.  Yes, I feel I accomplished so much-but there’s always more on the list.  Practicing driving?  Making more dinner and desert recipes for the family?  Getting video cassettes made into DVDs?  Get a sibling-filled day with my brother?  Finishing scrapbooks I left sprawled out on my bedroom carpet floor? Not getting the attic/bedroom/basement/living room 100% cleaned (although I’ve made more ‘movements’ on this house than my parents have in the past few months).

In years past I’ve been hometown home past New Years.  This time, I’m going back to Philly much earlier-to join friends for New Years Eve Party.  I’m so excited to have Betsy Ross down the block, cobble stones at my feet and an apartment and city to call my home. 

Time has flown by.  Even though it’s still a struggle for this richochet energizer bunny, I’m learning to actually enjoy things as they come and go :)

Let the games begin!

• Baking and/or cooking something new once a day
• Organizing, cleaning and re-vamping our hometown basement

All over my Childhood bedroom carpet

Popped, exploding Champagne spills.

Time to spend my last night in my hometown for the last time in at least 7 months.  Time to spend it right for once.  (AKA: Dancing)

Signs that you’ve been home too long:

• Cooking 1-2 family sized meals each day

So much that you start reorganizing the whole kitchen that’s not even yours and get offended dishes never seem to leave the sink and disgusted how much a dishwasher wastes.

• Reading on the laptop because you can’t find anything new in your house or what you actually want to read at the Library.


And getting annoyed at starting at a screen, worrying you’ll fall asleep breaking it or the battery life dying.

• Doing arts n’ crafts constantly but losing motivation (crocheting, completely future birthday gifts, scrapbooking)


Enough that you don’t want to clean it up or can’t seem to finish the last 5%, ever.

• Organizing and cleaning your old room


that already needed reorganizing and ridding of things but your lazy parents just stored with more things with while you were gone.

• Feeling like you’re begging for friends’ company in every text, email and call.


This is legitamely hard.  I have family and some good friends in this hometown.  Out of that batch-most are traveling back to their schools for New Years celebration while the remainder either don’t respond or just completely cancel on me.

It doesn’t make sense.  I’m not used to feeling upset about this.  At school, I really do have a whole gathering or friends.  Actually, usually too much that I’m exhausted and busy.  At school, I have a whole city that offers entertainment, comforting walks and friendly faces.

I want to embrace my hometown and the reconnect with the ones from it, but apparently its moved on without me or my friends have already decided to ditch it.

On the Road rarely (really rarely) traveled.

Hometown home.  The place I was born and raised.  The place that hold my two dogs and cat.  America’s voted ‘friendliest town.’  The place where my brother’s bedroom is right next to mine.

It’s where I’m going for almost a month.  It’s because I haven’t been there before April (I honestly can’t remember) that my throat is welling up just thinking about it.

There are so many things I want to do.  I know I’m going to be running around trying to ‘do’ everything on a list and know I’ll most likely get frustrated when they don’t all happen.  I’m a do-er: not a watcher, not a wisher, not a waiter.  This break I’m still going to aim at cooking, baking, seeing movies, catching up with friends but I’m also going to try and be.  Just be relaxed, happy, and enjoy the great break I’ve deserved.

Most of all I can’t wait to just live in the warmth of my family’s house.

Celebrating 250 Years of Sayville

1800-1865: The Transformation from Small Town to Oyster Town

“At the end of the 19^th century, Sayville would become the center of the world’s oyster industry.”

Things that always happen when I’m hometown home:

• Baths
• Boredom
• Bad News