If I’d only chose the day…

I’m back from my old life into the new one.

Jet lag is not so bad when traveling eastward, plus I uncharacteristically managed a couple of hours of shut-eye on the plane. But going to bed early today is definitely the sensible thing to do, so I’ll be brief.

The trip home was fantastic. Being among loved ones always lifts a man’s spirits… this man, at the very least. Children’s hugs and kisses, kicking back together, doing some silly family stuff – I have been missing that very much in my two and a half weeks alone. It goes without saying that going to bed with a certain hot woman definitely beats going to bed by myself, if you know what I mean… All in all, I never do well away from my family for long periods of time, and this trip was a lifesaver of sorts.

Then, there was Becky’s Bat-Mitsva – no rabbi, just a small candle-lighting ceremony at the beginning – which was a huge success. It turned into more of a farewell sometime along the way (I am pretty sure that Becky was toasted only a couple of times, while Natasha and I were toasted repeatedly), and most of the female guests in attendance teared up at one point or another, but it was still a blast!

This round of farewells actually turned out to be more pleasant than before. Relatives keep obsessing with “When are you going to come back?”, but friends have managed to overcome their sense of detachment, and basically simply celebrated our upcoming adventures with us. Maybe it’s the quality of food and the quantity of drink that does the trick…

The rest was a bit of a blur. There were still things to do, people to see, calls to make. Saying good-bye to the house was a hard part – I misted up myself – after all, it is our very first own house… (well, who knows, we may end up keeping it; it is now listed for rent as well as sale, but with this market, we may simply keep it as our own secondary residence…)

And here I am, alone again – albeit, for just a few days, – in anticipation of finally starting our excellent family adventure which, depending on your perspective, we either gutsily and admirably (thank you, brat Sashka!) or foolishly and inexplicably (we love you too, aunts and uncles!) inflicted on ourselves.

But seeing so many dear faces together makes me want to eventually come back. For two days now, I can’t stop singing the song that is becoming my personal anthem: “I will be returning here, If I’d only chose the day…”

Я сюда ещё вернусь,
Мне бы только выбрать день!