Let the beat build

Whoa, was the beginning of August busy! Traveling, family, friends, girlfriend and a lot of stuff that was stuck in-between. Let's rewind to Saturday, August 9, 2008; who put's flashbacks in their blog?

Let the beat build.

It had been nearly nine months since I last saw my parents; the longest period of time ever without seeing them. My parents, as well as my entire extended family, are very, very close - Italians, what do you expect? I had missed birthdays, holidays, my sisters' graduation from culinary school (did I mention they can cook like no other?) and weddings. On top of the excitement of finally seeing my parents again, the day we were scheduled to part our ways was the day I was flying to El Paso, TX to visit my girlfriend. Needless to say, the days before my parent's arrival I was a lot like an ecstatic puppy dog chasing a ball; I wouldn't know what to do if I caught it.

Well, I managed to keep myself sane until their arrival early Saturday morning, the 9th of August, and of course many days of fun ensued. I didn't have to cook, clean, do my laundry, fill my gas tank or do my dishes. In many ways, I got to be a 16-year-old again...hahaha. It was almost as if there was never a near nine month span between seeing each other, as many of my mischievous, old habits quickly become apparent - I'll leave them out ;). Now came Wednesday, August 13, 2008, the day I had to say goodbye to my parents for a time. My mom cried. My dad made a joke which made my mom laugh...then cry, and I gave them both a big hug. Well, I punched my dad a few times for good measure then gave him a hug. I know we will see each other more frequently in the future, because frankly...cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, filling my gas tank and doing my dishes myself is, in the words of a 16-year-old, really stupid!

Let the beat build.

My parents left Dallas Fort Worth International Airport bound for Pittsburgh; I left bound for El Paso, TX. It had been at least 3 weeks, 4 days, 13 hours and 52 minutes since I last saw my girlfriend Crystal - who doesn't keep track of something like that? Let me tell you, whether you are waiting at the airport to pickup a loved one, or flying out to see one, it's one of the BEST feelings in the world. We were fortunate enough to be seeing each other on our anniversary, and unbeknown to either of us we had crafted each other a bevy of handmade trinkets as anniversary presents - she of course out did me ;). There were too many fun times to list, but if you make your way over to my facebook, or my other web "space" page, you will see the pictures (soon as she has them ready :) ). The times we are together are the best, and soon we'll turn all our dreams into memories.

So friends, taking a small excerpt from one of Crystal's and my favorite songs, "let the beat build." I wonder what comes next.