I went back to Ohio

Back in Barcelona again, after a three-day trip to celebrate Thanksgiving in Ohio with my parents and my sister's family. It's a long flight (18 hours in each direction, with layovers) for such a short visit, but I'm glad we made it, since we don't get too many chances to all be together in the same place at the same time. I finally got to meet my niece Mary Catherine, and my two nephews are growing up fast. I found myself thinking about Sofia, and wondering when she'll get to meet her American cousins for the first time.

Each time I go back to Ohio (which, admittedly, is only every year or two) I'm surprised at how much things have changed. My old elementary school has been torn down and replaced with another, the high school has been expanded almost past the point of recognition, and new roads and shopping centers are springing up where once there were only fields and forests. I know it's inevitable, but part of me looks back on happy memories in these places and wants to keep everything just as it was, frozen in time like an idyllic scene in a snow globe.

It's also a reminder of how much people have changed over time; seeing cousins with fully-grown kids of their own; neighbors and relatives my own age with gray creeping into their temples and beards, and even finding out that one of my high school classmates is a grandmother at age 39. I had a long list of people that I would have liked to visit and catch up with, but with such a tight schedule, I guess I'll have to try again next time.

One thing I did manage to bring back is a nasty cold; the worst of it is over now, but my lungs are still trying to hork their way out of my body every couple of minutes. One thing you have to love about the US is the almost overwhelming array of options for self-medication. Cough? Fever and headache? Runny nose with accompanying erectile dysfunction? There's a product made specifically for you. Good thing we packed an empty suitcase or two.