Home!!

Hey guys,
I am finally back in New York. I did enjoy Baltimore a lot. Luckily I took off for the semester to rest so I was free to head down there. (After almost four years of going to school and work full time my brain was starting to fry.) Even though I didn't get to Fells Point and the Harbor, I did get to hang out with my niece and nephew. I went to help out one of my big sisters. She's moving to South Carolina and needed me to keep an eye on my niece and nephew, who are both teenagers now, thirteen and fifteen.

I so wasn't feeling it the first day I got there. My niece, who was grounded, tried her darnedest to sneak out and when I busted her I was suddenly the enemy. She tried to get my nephew to conspire with her, once I started baking his favorite cookies he was easily on my side. But after a week, when she realized auntie wasn't playing, she fell in line.

That was really hard for me though and it took a lot out of me. I'm always the cool auntie who has a funny story or is cracking jokes, it was so hard to go into mommy mode. My oldest niece is only ten years younger than me so we basically grew up together and even she had to realize, when she was a teenager, that I'm auntie and not just a best friend.

It was the first time I was in charge of teenagers for an extended period of time and I appreciated my sister being a hard working single mom even more. It was so tiring to get up, make breakfast, get them up and clean and dressed, feed them and get them out to school on time. Then go back and clean, do laundry, make dinner and make sure they were doing their homework and not just watching television.

But we had fun. I was there for their birthdays so I made their dinners and their cakes. They didn't have parties but I did invite their friends in to eat and have cake. We had movie night on Saturday which was usually movies that were so scary they kept me up at night. They showed me their little neighborhood hang outs and I met their friends. I'd say got the full mommy experience. I even got an I hate you. I gotta say I'm not rushing to motherhood no matter how much my mom drops hints for more grand kids.

I showed my niece my book and my blog and she was so excited. She told all her friends her auntie was a writer which I thought was absolutely cute. But she wasn't happy with my blog she wanted me to add pictures and all kinds of quotes. I'm like, it's basically a journal but I leave it open for people to comment if they want and I really just enjoy the fact that people read it. But I guess that's how teenagers still are. They always like to be the center of attention, good or bad, and be a little over the top. I know I did.

So I'm home and I can finally shut myself away and write for a few hours. I have to start picking my classes for the summer term which I'm kind of dreading because I really enjoyed resting. But it's back to business.

Enjoy your day!!! It's hot and sticky in NYC!!

Maryland.

I'm having a pretty good time in Maryland. I'm in Baltimore but I've been hanging out in a few places. I went to see my auntie in Glen Burnie. I lived in Glen Burnie for three years in my early twenties so being back there bought back some nice memories. I want to go to the harbor but big sis begged me to wait until she had a day off. Even though, honestly, she works all the time. I also want to go to Fells Point, I hear its pretty awesome there. Before I leave I have to get some shopping done with my niece. She's turning fifteen next Sunday so I'm making her a birthday dinner after we hang out.

I'm having fun here but I have to admit I can't wait to get back to NYC. I get annoyed with the city sometimes but there is absolutely no place like home. I haven't really had a chance to do much writing but tomorrow is a buckle down day. I'm going to write my brains out. I missed it so much. I have some new ideas to start. Excited to flesh them out!!!!!!