Easy Saturday

After a fairly busy morning (birthday party for J and the kiddos, tennis with friends & sunburn for me), we packed up pizza makings and trekked over to J's parents' house for dinner and a swim. My in-laws have a pool in their backyard, and we offered to make some pizza while we were over there letting the kiddos swim. I was craving some good homemade pizza, and it turned out quite delish. FWIW, a Green Egg rocks when it comes to making pizza.

My in-laws still live in the same house where J spent most of his childhood. They live less than a mile from the house I grew up in over in NLR, although J and I didn't meet until we were in junior high. Still not really sure how that happened...

Being back in that neighborhood is always comforting; I biked those streets like crazy when I was younger, and knew all the twists, turns, nooks and crannies that Indian Hills held. And if you know anything about that area, you know that's saying something. Whoever laid out those streets was obviously high on something when they did the layout.

Before J and I moved back to AR, we would visit my in-laws a few times a year, whenever we were back in Little Rock. I remember visiting them on days like today - hot, sultry, summer days where the pool was incredibly refreshing and the light didn't fade from the sky until impossibly late in the evening. The neighborhood, still so familiar, would be quiet, and the old, large trees would shade nearly everything but the street itself. It was still home, even though I hadn't lived there for many years.

We'd leave their house after these visits, and I'd take a second as we walked to the car to enjoy the peaceful evening. It always felt a little slower, a little cooler, and a little more content there. I distinctly remember thinking how nice it must be to be able to leave your relatives' house and go home on such a night.  Not to whomever's house you were staying with that weekend, with the long drive back to Htown looming in front of you, but to your actual home - with Sunday stretching out in front of you and a day well spent with relatives and friends behind you. And a nice peace of mind.

Today, as I was hauling wet towels, swimsuits, and leftover pizza to the car, I paused again to enjoy the evening as the sun set. And remembered when I used to wish for a night just like tonight. A hot summer day well spent with relatives and friends, Sunday open in front of us, and our own house only half an hour away. There are definitely things I miss about Houston, we had (and still have) so many good friends there. But my soul is at ease here. What else could I ask for?