Fall, Weekends with Friends, and Looking Forward

I started writing this from the kitchen table of my oldest friend's mother. I haven't been back to my hometown in a while, and the sad truth is that when I do make it back, I usually miss out on time with Cindy, who has always been like a second mom to me. But since my family is back on the east coast, I was able to get away this weekend while Alisha is home visiting to spend a couple of days with people who matter so much to me. We spent the whole weekend talking books, working on manuscripts, making apple pies, and generally enjoying each other.

So what else has the Lynch clan been up to since June, when I last took the time to sit down and write a blog post? Quite a bit.

June was an exceptionally odd month for us. The kids ended their school year. Connor and I spent a night in Bakersfield so we could dig for teeth at Sharktooth Hill. Less than a week later, I checked into Stanford Medical and had the (thankfully) benign but large tumors removed from my knees. Zach was finishing his time at the Defense Language Institute and was preparing to take the final test. All while juggling the kids and my recovery.

I was stuck in bed for several days, and even starting with PT in my home, my mobility was severely limited for a few weeks. Shout out to our amazing friends back in California that went the extra mile to help us out during that time.

At the end of the month, we knew Zach had not only passed his exam but he had done really well with it. So we were preparing for the move across the country. We took our time with it, spending several days in a hotel in the Monterey Bay area so we could have some extra time with the friends we had made there, and so Connor could have time to say goodbye to his friends. And then we shipped the truck and my Explorer, hopped on a plane to DC, and stepped foot back on the east coast.

Getting back to the east coast was interesting, to say the least. We spent a week in a hotel on Embassy Row in our nation's capitol, and tried to get the kids to enjoy things like the National Zoo and the various Smithsonian Museums. But it was hot, and the poor monsters all but melted in the heat wave. We also found a spot for hunting shark teeth, and if you know me, or if you don't but have been paying attention, you know I absolutely love hunting and finding them. So much so that I've been back to Purse State Park several times, and Calvert Cliffs once.

After that first week, we flew to Miami, where we spent a couple of nights before setting sail on a cruise with Norwegian around the Caribbean. And what an absolutely amazing experience. It was a first for Connor, Taylor and me. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, so much so that we are planning another one this winter, although we haven't told the kids just yet.

And when we got back, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit the East Wing of the White House, which was kind of fascinating, if not quite as exciting as our visit to the Capitol Building was back in 2016.

The kids and Zach have all started school since we flew back from Florida. We got all settled into the townhouse we are calling home until next summer. Zach is taking several classes he finds highly interesting, and he is also interning part-time with his dad. Between work, school, and kids' activities, my husband spends most of his time moving around.

Both of the littles are playing recreational soccer. Anyone who has lived in Northern Virginia will attest to soccer being a Big Deal in the area. They're having fun with their teams, and we enjoy watching them play. Once it ends for the season, I intend to start swim lessons again for both of them. But in the meantime, we are on a field three days a week.

As for me, well, I've spent the last couple of months working on myself. I've officially lost forty pounds since January. I quit vaping in June. I walk every day, anywhere from two to twelve miles a day, depending on what's on the schedule. And I have a weight routine I do at home three days a week.

I've spent a lot of time working on my debut novel. I'm so close to being done with the first draft that I can almost taste it. And I already have a ton of notes for my initial edits and revisions. I can't wait to share it with everyone.

I also photographed the wedding of a dear friend down in North Carolina a few weeks ago. It was my first wedding, I don't exactly have professional equipment, and I didn't have a second shooter. But I did my best for her, some of my shots came out absolutely gorgeous, and I had a great time. That said, I think I'll stick to landscapes, macros, and just generally things that have neither opinions or free will.

The next couple of months are going to continue to be a race of activities and visits. We have weddings coming up. We have people coming to visit from out of town. We have Halloween and all of its related activities, like pumpkin patches, hay rides, and corn mazes. We've been apple picking once with my in-laws, and we're going again next Saturday. We have holidays and cookie parties, we have a major date night in November, for which I'm taking Zach to a nice dinner and to see the theater performance of The Phantom of the Opera. I've seen it on stage twice, once in Canada when I was really young, and once in NYC when I was twenty. Zach has never seen it, so I'm very excited to share it with him.

Despite my efforts, I still haven't been able to see Emma since we've been here. I don't have a solid date for when I will get to see her, either. That's the one big cloud on the parade of exciting weekends that make up my life right now. I miss her.

Time has been flying since we left California. The days go by so insanely quickly. I really need to spend a few days with the cameras running around DC and getting pictures of the monuments. I'd like to go back to the zoo, and I really would like to see the botanical gardens. And of course, I must always make time for shark teeth. I'm going to make another Florida trip this year for that purpose, but I don't have an idea of when just yet.

Overall, I think it is safe to say that we are enjoying our time here, and making Northern Virginia our forever home after Zach retires is a definite possibility. In the meantime, we have an abundance of adventures to take and memories to make. I'll try to be better about making blog posts more regularly. Oh, and so I don't forget, if you are interested in listening to me nerd out over bookish things with my bestie, you can find our YouTube Lives most Tuesday Nights at 8:15 EST at https://www.youtube.com/@alishacostanzo/featured. I hope you'll join us!