Home, sweet home … Some of the things I will miss most about Virginia:

- Fireflies
- Colorful Southern sayings. My favorite? “I’m as nervous as a whore in church.” (courtesy of BonBon).
- The prevalence of history … every day … all the time … everywhere.
- The view at Salem Avalanche A baseball games — a beer in hand, a baseball game below and unadulterated beautiful blue ridge mountains at sunset as a backdrop. The closest thing to perfection.
- My tree-lined street; my beautiful house; the window seat in my sons’ room; sitting in said window seat at dusk with a boy on each leg, my arms surrounding them, reading a book (“It’s pajama time, ooooh yes, it’s pajama time. Pajama to the left, pajama to the right, jamma jamma jamma jamma, pj! Everybody’s wearing them for dancing tonight, jamma jamma jamma jamma, pj!” Sandra Boynton rocks!), with the sound of the cicada’s in the background.
- Seth Williamson’s voice every morning.
- The varied accents. My favorite? Buchanan County (yes, sometimes individual counties have their own accent, which can vary greatly from one just a few miles away). I could sit and listen to this soft, deep drawl forever. It even makes insults sound pleasant (I’ll get to another Southern take on insults a bit later).
- The delicate and profuse flower of the Dogwood (everything is a Dogwood to Brian) in spring and the huge, waxy white, strongly sweet smelling magnolia flowers of May and July. They’re like extraordinarily large Gardenias … like a boutonnière the Green Giant would wear to Prom.
- Being a mere five hours away from the big blue (although I’m scared to death to swim in it because of the creatures that call it home). I sure love to stare at it and smell it, though.
- “Bless his/her heart.” The dichotomy of this oft said Southern statement is fascinating. Depending on the tone and statement that follows or encompasses it (it is often an interjection) the speaker is planning to head right home and pray for or curse the person being referred to.
- The amazing people I have been blessed to work with and play with. Over the past seven years, I have found my own Virginia family and I wish I could take each and every one with me (well, except for one or two, bless their hearts). My confidant, intellectual sparring partner and talented designer (yes, my designer) James; beautiful inside and out girlfriend who has my back, April; a crazy guys guy on the outside, but true to heart wonderful father Colin; the true phenomenal woman, BonBon, whom I can’t even think of saying good-bye to without getting verklempt; grammar goddess and valued advice dispenser Kathie, I won’t even get into Jeff, ( his web site is a wonderful window into his endearing eccentricities); computer fixer and master e-mail forwarder Jon; my mentors Rob, Debbie and, before the blow-out, Kitty; the glue that holds the ship together Shirley, Sherry and Teresa; my sweet, strong Somiah who consistently reminds me of myself about ten years ago (poor thing!); my GE crew, Will (amazing, amazing person), Chris (another native Coloradan — if he doesn’t end up being our next door neighbor within the next two years, I’ll be devastated), Paul (holds a special place in my heart) and his fiancée Amy (who I always wanted to get to know better), Brian Aiken and Andrea (two wonderful people who I hope end up in Colorado, too) Katie and Kevin (a wonderful couple who we didn’t get to spend as much time with as we should’ve), Corey and Sara (ditto), Hannah and Ed (the perfect couple with style and warm hearts), Andy (who is on his way to Harvard) and the list could go on and on. There are a bunch of GE guys and RU folks who have come and gone and I already miss them and will continue to (Brent, Thanh and Karen, Rekha and Jon, Ivan and Joy, Elizabeth and Bob, Jen, Jenna, Andy, Laura, Frannie, Judy, Joe and Angie, Beth, Trina and so many more). It’s so strange how many people you can meet and become close to in just seven years. Anyway, I hate good-bye’s so I’ll just consider this an until-I-see-you-next-time kind of thing.

I’ll continue this list, I think, probably when I’m back in CO trying to write with two screaming (yet adorable) kids vying for my attention.

I guess it’s quite obvious that Brian got the job. That’s right momma, I’m comin’ home.