It feels strange to think back to before the marathon; it seems like a lifetime ago instead of merely weeks. Much of Boston is returning to normal, but everything is different, as if the explosions jarred a kaleidoscope through which we view the city. The light now reflects and multiplies tumbling bits of grief, pain, and anger, but also unity, resilience, forgiveness, and hope.
Now more than ever, it's important to appreciate what we have. So I can't skip over the time we were able to spend with Ren at the end of March as he took an extended layover in New England on his way to Germany. He'll be living there for a while to gain fluency in German in preparation for grad school.
Ren arrived late on Friday evening, and we headed straight to New Hampshire for a quick weekend with his friends from Boulder who are now in Boston for grad school and work. We connected with Erin and Michael over a year ago thanks to Ren, but it was the first time they had seen us and Ren in person at the same time.
The next morning, after a late breakfast of bagels and lox, we bundled up and hit the trails for our first snowshoeing experience. A friend told me snowshoeing was like walking on clouds. I was skeptical at first, but as soon as I stepped off the compacted trail and into fresh snow, I knew exactly what she meant.
We headed back to Boston Saturday evening after dinner and a movie, and had fun the next few days catching up with Ren and experiencing our first Passover Seder, which was not only sans leavened bread, but also gluten free and vegetarian (and still delicious). Thanks to Erin and Michael for hosting!
Wednesday evening, we drove Ren back to the airport and sent him on his merry way to Germany. Even though we don't know yet when he'll be returning stateside, Ian and I will get to see him very soon during our bucket list trip to Paris/Europe in just a few weeks. Since he'll be visiting all the cities we plan to see, he even promised to do some scouting for us.
Ren, thanks for visiting. We can't wait for you to introduce us to your new city!