bye bye biggie

I can almost guarantee that this won't be the last post about how much we love and are going to miss our little dog, Big.  There have been tears.  Many.  He will be moving in with my sister, and she's going to be a great momma to him.  But we are still sad.  I mean, look at this little guy:

I've read that dogs take on the characteristics of their owners.  Which is great because it means that Biggie is perfectly content taking long afternoon naps, watching television, and going on walks.  He is 12 pounds of snuggling and cuddling, and we're going to miss him.  A lot.

goodbye louisiana

My favorite thing about being in Louisiana is spending time in Granny's house.  Every room is full of memories: the living room is where all the cousins slept on the floor together on Christmas eve, the recliner is where I sat and watched Cool Runnings over and over that one summer, the kitchen is where granny stirs gumbo and pop crafted fudge.  It is a very good place.

Pete and I made a quick trip down to Lafayette to spend some quality time with granny before our big move.  It's really nice to be in a community where you know someone everywhere you go.  

It's also good to visit a state that makes beignets and makes them well.  That way, when you are sad about leaving, you can make a last minute detour to the Coffee Depot and smother your sadness in powdered sugar.

Goodbye MA, ME, VT, NY, CT

The goodbye tour officially kicked off after Thanksgiving with a long trip to New England to see Kate and Mike and Jack and so many more well-wishers. You couldn't throw a stone in the Northeast without hitting someone we visited.

We saw my Aunt Mary and cousins in Portland and Westfield and my pseudo-in-laws in Boston.

Old colleagues and stomping grounds in Vermont.

Professors in upstate New York.

And farm-friends in Connecticut.

All the way through people were outrageously good to us. We ate like kings and enjoyed their warm, beautiful homes and got good and puffed up by their words of love and encouragement.

We also took the opportunity to rehearse for Peace Corps.

Did a little English teaching.

And we practiced living out of suitcases and wearing the same clothes over and over again. Plus, while we were up there, a very sweet Peace Corps Morocco representative called us and said, "You need to think Alaska, not Africa." So we practiced dressing warm.

And being cold. The weather helped us out by giving us one perfect snowy day.

Kate and Mike introduced us to the Chipyard in Boston (started by Mitchell Hurwitz! I never knew!) and Britt found an amazing 15-inch pancake at Papa Pete's in Bennington Vermont.

And we worked out some of our leaving-America grief by going to Dunkin' Donuts every day. I can't say enough about the lovely places and people we saw.  It was a great trip -one that will burn warm in our memories when we're freezing our extremities off in Anchorage, Morocco.