It had been 10 months since we left Seattle and we were so excited for our first visit home and to see all our family and friends! Part of our package with Jeff’s company is one trip home per year, so this was our 2015 visit. I knew we had a lot to pack in to two weeks!

Before we left, I was a bit stressed with how the long flight would go for the kids and how I would fit everything in once home (seeing everyone, visiting all the favorite parks/restaurants, etc). For once, I wasn’t too stressed about packing since I knew we would have toiletries there waiting for us and laundry at my parents’ and that anything we’d forgotten we could easily get there (and it turns out I could have gotten away with not packing any clothes for the boys as my mom had practically a whole new wardrobe waiting for them 😄).

After the first few days of jet lag, we settled in and got into the rhythm of being home again. In some ways it felt like no time had passed, and that Dublin was a far off dream. It almost felt too easy to forget our life here, which worried me in a way — would this experience “stick” with us in the end? Would it change us in real and meaningful ways?

It was strange in a way — the other two times I’ve lived abroad (in Israel for a year and Prague for a semester), I had never come home midway through. So once back home, it was always at the end of the experience — I knew I wouldn’t be going back, so I could fully start to process it and readjust to home. But this time, knowing we’d be heading back to Ireland, it felt a bit confusing as to how much we should let ourselves get used to things again at home. Would it just make it that much harder to say goodbye again?

But in any case, I tried not to dwell too much on the bigger questions and just thoroughly enjoy our time! The weather in Seattle was gorgeous (even a bit too hot at times!) so we had a lot of great outdoor time at parks, beaches, and enjoying delicious bbq from my dad’s new grill. We had some really sweet play dates and catching up with friends, lots of family dinners, a few relatives who came from out of town while we were there (thanks auntie Bonnie and uncle Marty, and auntie Linda!), and Jeff and I even got out on a lovely date night. Isaac had a lot of fun adventures too: a baseball game, a boat trip on uncle Mike’s boat, and loads of playing around grandma and grandpa’s house.

The timing worked out so well — we were home for Father’s Day, 4th of July, my sister in law’s birthday, and I even got to attend the wedding of one of my dear friends on the east coast (Jeff and the boys stayed behind in seattle so it was a solo trip for me). Ilana and Rox’s wedding in the Berkshires was an incredible celebration with Indian elements, Jewish elements, and lots of love and spirit. Every little detail was so well crafted and it was such a heartfelt weekend. And it was incredibly timely as the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality for all that same weekend, so it was an awesome celebration of the personal and political! Such a fun weekend and so great to see my college friends! I even got to see a few other close friends in Boston as I flew in and out of Logan on my way to western Mass.

It was a really wonderful two weeks and I loved and treasured getting to see everyone. Being so far away really does make you appreciate the family and close friends at home. And as much as FaceTime/Skype/email makes keeping in touch easier these days, there’s nothing like actual in person “facetime” with loved ones.

It certainly was hard to say goodbye. At the airport, Isaac tried to hold back tears saying goodbye to my parents. He kept saying “I wish we didn’t have to leave” and “it’s so hard to say goodbye.” My heart was breaking and I was once again feeling guilty for taking him away from home where he’s so happy and comfortable. But I know it’s an incredible experience for him and is teaching him so much about adapting, resilience, living in multiple cultures, and more. But it’s not easy in the moment.

It took a few days once we were back in Dublin (once again coping with jetlag), but soon enough we were all feeling “at home” again here. Isaac was asking for play dates with friends here, I got some texts from a few of my friends, and we were invited to a birthday party coming up. In the afternoons, isaac plays with the boy next door, and I’ve readjusted to driving on the left side again. It feels worlds apart from when we first arrived 10 months ago and knew no one and nothing about Dublin. Having a house and neighborhood to come back to, and some familiar people and places, makes all the difference. It’s still not “home home” (which will always be seattle) but it’s nice to know we can feel at home here.

Here are some of my favorite photos from our visit home. Enjoy!