It has been melting this whole weekend. All windy and dripping and driving through the huge slush puddles creates enormous satisfaction as a sheet of water can rise higher than the car roof. Of course, it also means going through gallons of windshield fluid, and absolute peril if you walk anywhere.

But it makes the heart lighter. Friday morning I arrived at the cafe and the heat was on, the windows all shut, and it was sweltering inside. So we opened the windows, turned on the ceiling fans (our method of air conditioning) and the warm breeze coming in the from the door and the open windows made me want to scream with happiness. 

All of us were manic that day. Crystal, Kyla, Teri and I could barely walk; we wanted to run so badly, run outside like the kids at the school across the street, and to sit on a patio somewhere with a beer and lay our heads back and close our eyes to the sun. We didn't have to force ourselves to smile at customers that day because joy was emanating from our very pores. 

It's funny, because I have always known that Spring makes you more happy. But for some reason it has taken me by surprise this year. I have been so mired in keeping my head down, tuning out the outside world and just trudging on with school that I can scarcely believe that it is March, and maybe- just maybe- this is Spring starting already. 

Spring for me this year is heralding more than just tulips and the disappearance of ice. This year I am going back to Greece for more excavating from May 24-July 7th, when I return for my cousin's wedding. After that, this summer is going to be a whirlwind of gathering together the most important of my belongings (which honestly is mostly boxes and boxes of books), and then bidding adieu to the rest of my family. Having lived at home for the majority of my life, saying goodbye to my parents and my siblings is already breaking my heart. I am so very, very happy for them though. My dad got a job at the University of York, England, and my sister will be attending the U of Leeds. J is applying for med schools in the UK, since you can apply there straight out of high school, unlike Canada. And my mom has already worked it out with profs on both sides so that she will be able to finish her Master's in psych as an independent study. I am staying here to finish my undergrad, and trust me, there is nothing I want more than to be able to go on this next adventure with the rest of them. I have never been left out of the "family adventure" before, but I guess it's time to start forming my own version of "home". I guess that movie "Garden State" was right...