MHough

I just got back from a great visit to go back to Pennsylvania to meet the newest member of the Hough family, my beautiful neice Amelia. The trip was definitely one of the best visits I’ve had yet, packed full of family time, food, guns, cigars, motorcycles, hiking, and corvettes. Click on the picture to see the pics or click on the link below to read more.

After almost being driven to the point of insanity at work trying to forecast ahead and prepare all of my projects prior to my trip, I was, needless to say, ecstatic to walk out of the office and do a little traveling. I’ve become aware of my need to travel every once in awhile; it’s nice to get out of your surroundings and realize exactly how big the world is. It gives you a nice viewpoint on your life and helps you become more objective to the true reality of it all. Plus, I think traveling is an essential part of learning about people and the world. I know I always start to get a little claustrophobic and anxious if I don’t get to go somewhere.

Arriving in BWI airport and stepping off the airplane the first thing you notice is how everyone dresses differently on the East Coast. Lots of blues, blacks, and grays; very traditional and not much attitude (in contrast to San Diego). I notice a big difference in the way people treat me since I have tattoos - a lot more lingering glances at my arms.

I have to say a large part of my excitement for the visit was to get a little taste of the famous fall weather we have in PA. On cool nights in San Diego my mind comes alive with memories of high school football games, apple cider, playing in leaves, cool grass, Halloween, corn stalks, the list goes on and on. It’s something only someone who experiences it can relate to and is my favorite holiday.

Stepping off the airplane I immediately noticed the crisp air and felt like I was home. On the ride back from the airport we drove through some backroads and I was pleasantly suprised at seeing cornfields and cows again. I almost forgot what they looked like and that they actually existed. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ as the saying goes.

Central PA is really a beautiful place and I’ve become very appreciative of that fact after living in the semi-arid conditions of San Diego where everything is generally colored with hues of beige and brown. The bursting green of PA and the smell of the soil and plants are refreshing. It also suprised me to hear the forests and insects.

Driving into Carlisle, my hometown, I turned the radio off instead opting to listen to the crickets. The cool night air, which smelled of wet soil, rushed through the car. I felt nothing but excitement and a sense of happiness that I was going to spend a few days relaxing with my family. Every other time I traveled home I was filled fear, regret, and remorse of past times and people that left a sick knot in my stomach. Not this time. The last few visits I made amends as I could and confronted my past, looking to right my wrongs as best I could and live a new life and leave a new legacy. Now I can look everyone in the eye in that town and be proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished. It was an amazing feeling and I was well aware of the difference. I think that was one of the more powerful aspects that made this visit so great and has left me with a new sense and direction.

After I filled up on my dad’s special bean recipe at his 2-story duplex in Carlisle, I headed over to my older brother Adam’s house to meet my new neice Amelia. Now, I’ve seen newborn babies before. And yes, I think they are cute. But I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I had when I saw Amelia. I have since formed a theory that there must be some sort of psycho-physio-sub-concious thing going on with family. There was an instant connection between Amelia and me (well, probably more like I had an instant connection with her since she was passed out). I really can’t explain it but I was completely enamored at the her and was instantly smitten. I could spend hours just listening to her breathing and her coos and grunts. The circle of life is an amazing thing. I’m really happy for my brother and his wife.

So, as I’m writing this I realize that there is no way I can put the full scope of the visit in writing (and still keep your attention). All I kow is that I love my family and that I feel like there is a new chapter being formed in our lives. Riding behind my dad on motorcycles through the Appalacian mountains, relaxing on a couch with my mom, shooting skeet with my older brother, holding Amelia, hiking through the woods alone on a foggy morning, driving the corvette with the top down through winding roads into the sunset, smoking a cigar at night in the company of the stars and moon - these are the things that I will take with me as precious gifts. I can’t help but feel grateful…

p.s. - skateboarding is dead in PA