contrasts

i wake up in a place that is so very familiar, though it has been so long (too long) since i was last here. it has barely been 12 hours since i arrived and god, i don't know why i waited so long. four years.

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i always say i have 3 women in my life that are like mothers: my own mom, of course; my grandmother; and my aunt cindy. they are the three crows on my back and the people i relate most to in my family. solid women who made me who i am.

i used to visit cindy twice a year in high school but with college and real life afterward i haven't been here in four years. i really have no idea why. falling back into sync with cindy is like second nature. so good to be here with her and john.

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she has this amazingly curated space of a house - so lived in yet so gorgeous and wonderful. i am sure it will feature here in coming days.

today, though, we went to the santa monica farmer's market (where i spotted these - never seen a mix like this before) after my early morning run. bought a lot of fresh juice. back to the house to juice some pineapples and then blackberry syrup to make and put up. after that, some relaxing (and of course all this was interspersed with copious amounts of talking). then dinner at houston's - an amazing veggie burger, a lemon drop, followed by a shared slice of key lime pie. heaven.

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LA gets a really bad rap. the two worst things about it (the people and the traffic) are very bad, no doubt. horrible in fact. but some of the pros are just so great - the yearround perfect weather, the unbelievable produce you can get here - really unlike anywhere else in the country, the access to just about everything within a stone's throw, how just about any plant will take root in your garden and grow out of control - dumping heavy lemons or seville oranges over your neighbor's fence. it is lush and cool and so very nice here sometimes. of course, for me, too, it is filled with some of my favorite memories.

i picked just the right time to take this vacation, too, this was the right place and the right time. i am so very calm and peaceful here and i think this will be exactly what i need to push strongly into the new adventure of grad school and austin and upcoming insanity.