Days 6 and 7 - NYC and Upstate

I'm officially in the swing of my displacement which means I didn't get to sit down in front of a computer once this weekend. I'm officially moved out of my apartment, I'm officially done catering and I have officially said goodbye to my two favorite people under the legal drinking age: Brady and Riley.

These kids have singlehandedly altered my view on the importance of family. Now, I've always loved my family. I have a great relationship with both mom and dad and after many years my older brother and I are also great friends. Up until a year ago though, I never felt the need to cultivate relationships with my family. They were something that was always just 'there'. It's different though when the family member is a young growing mind.

I was never close to these boys until they moved up to New York after their parents' divorce. A little over a year ago these munchkins were suddenly an hour commute away from me. Having never really spent time with them before I didn't really know what to do but I felt a nagging need to become a more important part of their life, especially in light of the fact that my brother, their father, wasn't going to be able to see them very often because he had sadly remained in Florida.

What has ensued in the last year is a love affair of epic proportions. These awesome kids have taught me the value of family in a way I've never known it. I never had an aunt or uncle who was a part of my life the way I am in there's, so it means so much more to me that they feel a connection. They call me in the middle of the day just to say hi, from what I hear they count down the days until I visit, and when we're together they just light up my day. These boys are really the only thing about leaving that is making me sad. I never thought FAMILY would be the hardest thing to leave behind in New York...

Thankfully, the world has created Skype so I can sit in the comfort of my SF apartment and watch them light saber duel if I feel like it. I'm making a committment to get back to see them as much as humanly possible because it will break my heart if this one year was the only one where Auntie Loo Loo was really present.

Thanks guys, you are some damn cool kids.