Traveling

Today is a travel day. I'm heading back to NJ to spend a couple of weeks visiting family and friends. As with all my previous trips, this is an impromptu visit, arranged to coincide with my sister Layla and my nieces Sara and Sasha who are visiting from Colombia.

I'll get to see them and the entire cast of characters that make up my family. We'll even squeeze in a few days in Virginia visiting my brother and his family. And the girls want to spend a day in New York City, which fortunately is only about 20 minutes away.

I've got my IPOD loaded with music and new audible books for the journey. I've bought the requisite St. Croix T-shirts and assorted souvenirs, and I've got my suitcase packed with the few winter clothes that I've kept for such journeys. I'll be getting my feet out of the perennial flip flops and into thick socks and heavy shoes. I'll be wearing layers of clothes and feeling very strange in the dry cold winter air. And just when I'll get used to such a restricted environment, it'll be time to get back and shed all those clothes and slip back into flip flops and start sweating again!