My mom and sister are on a plane right now flying home to Alabama. They came to visit for the holiday weekend. It was a more laid-back visit this time, since we did all the touristy things last year when they visited. This time we simply went to the beach, went shopping, played board games and watched countless episodes of tv shows on dvd.

I went home for lunch and noticed that my sister had forgotten her pumpkin candies. You know, the ones that taste like caramel corn. My mom had left some cantalope in the fridge. It's silly, but it made me miss them already. Seeing my family once, perhaps twice a year is hard to get used to, even after I've lived in California for over three years. But at least I get to see them that often.