sf trip: part 2

I moved to California after I graduated college. I had already lived there for a summer, and had a place to live with some friends. I didn't want to stay in Vermont (where I had gone to college) and I didn't want to move back to New York. Also, even though my entire family is from New York/New Jersey, about half of them lived in California--including my brother, my aunt and uncle and two cousins, and my two other aunts. My mom's sister and her husband live just south of San Francisco and their home definitely became my home away from home while I was living there. At the time, one of my cousins was living with them, while her older sister was not too far away, and the same for my brother. While my dad's sisters lived farther south, in Santa Cruz and San Diego.

Just about every Sunday night, I'd take BART down to the southern-most station where someone would pick me up and bring me over to their house (this was until the last few months I was there, when I finally got a car). We'd hang out, have snacks, eat a delicious dinner and dessert, watch the last few minutes of 60 Minutes, when we all got a laugh out of Andy Rooney complaining about something, then the Simpsons, and then go home. It was perfect. When I was growing up, we didn't get to travel that much back and forth to visit so it was such a treat to get to spend so much time with my aunt and uncle, and with my cousins (one of whom is just a few weeks younger than me and the other one is a few months older than my brother), who are our only first cousins. Sunday dinners is one of the things I miss most about living in California. And not having family in Minnesota is the biggest downer about living here, for sure.

During my trip, I got to have a wonderful Sunday dinner, and then stay over at my aunt and uncle's house. Have I mentioned how much I love their house? I don't even really know how to describe it, but I hope these photos give a little bit of peek into the coziness. I think I love all the little corners and "things" around the house. And all the little "things" aren't just "things"--they have a story, or a history. I love that this house is more than a house, it's a home. It's lived in. I'm glad I documented all these little corners, looking at these photos now is making me really happy.