{PHL > SEA in March 2010}
In March, I went to Seattle to visit my cousin, Amoreena. It was my first trip to Seattle and it was the first time in about 10 years since I had seen her. Leading up to the trip, I was a bit anxious because I wasn't sure how the trip would go. Would we get along? Would the conversations flow? Would we have much to talk about other than family stuff?
Amoreena and I basically grew up together. We spent many family vacations together in Pittsburgh, Columbus, OH (where my grandmother lived) and Michigan (her hometown). When my dad and grandmother passed away in the 90's, distance kept us apart. We all got older, graduated from high school, went off to college, moved away from home and it just became way too difficult to plan vacations together. Over time, it was tough to remain a part of each other's lives without feeling like we had to just because we were family. Prior to my trip out to Sea-town, the last time I actually remember seeing Amoreena was at her mother's wedding in.... 1998? 1999?
We reconnected thanks to that evil thing called Facebook a few years back, and I will admit, I'm very grateful for it because it's allowed us to re-kindle our relationship. But things are always different in person than they are online. And relationships change over the years, especially from adolescence to adulthood.
My first night in Seattle we stayed up till 4AM (which was 7AM for me, since I was still running on East Coast time) drinking wine, talking, laughing, and doing a puzzle. After that, I knew our weekend would be amazing. And of course, it was. Good conversation, delicious coffee (and wine), and spending quality time together. It was exactly how I wanted the trip to be. We created our own memories.
Tomorrow, Seattle invades Philadelphia. My cousin has never been to the East Coast (shocking, I know). We're going to cram a month's worth of activities into five days. Wine and cheese night. Game night. Playing tourist. Eating cheesesteaks. Museums. Playing at Condom Kingdom. Going to a Haunted House. I couldn't be more excited to spend time with her and show her my city and introduce her to my amazing friends.
I don't get to see my extended family much so when I do, I make it count. Because we should make every day count. These next five days are sure to be epic and I can't wait.
