Southern California

Once upon a time my sister, Jenifer, had an idea to invite all the daughters and granddaughters of my Grandmother Christensen to her house for a long weekend. We left work and families and all other responsibilities and went to Riverside. We quilted heirloom quilts and ate oranges. We talked and laughed and talked some more. We celebrated our ancestors with a bee-themed dinner and ate yummy food and then ate more yummy food. We made cupcakes and hair bows and quilted some more. We soaked up the Southern California sun for hours upon hours with gratitude I cannot even describe. We picked lemons and cleaned and celebrated each other. And then we had to go home. And we are still longing to go back.

My grandmother, mother, aunts, and cousins are really amazing women. I felt myself feeling out of place several times over the weekend, surrounded by women who sew and cook and make the most adorable things you can imagine. The weekend was just what I needed to make it through the next two (very busy) months.