Getting the hell out

My six weeks are up! We have a three week break from quintet now, and words can't convey how happy I am about that. Dad arrived in Greensboro around 4:15p.m. on Christmas Eve. I had to leave at 5:00 for 7&1/2hrs of quintet fun, but I cooked shrimp etouffee for him so he could have a nice dinner in my apartment. We leave for Pittsburgh in 5hrs. Because Christmas was always just Dad, Patrick and me we decided we couldn't bear to sit around Dad's house and go through the motions with such a huge hole in our lives. So, we decided to ignore the holidays and instead use our money on a trip. We're going home to Pittsburgh and I can't wait. Though I was raised in Louisiana beginning in May of my 10th year I still consider Pittsburgh home. It's where my heart is, probably in part because I hated being in Louisiana and lived for my yearly visits to Pittsburgh, which continued after my parents divorced. We'd have our visitations with Dad in Pittsburgh so we could see my grandparents and Uncle Kenny, all of whom have died in the last four years. I'm really looking forward to this break in the city. I can't remember the last time I was out of town in a fashion that didn't involve either the quintet or staying at a family member's/friend's house. I hope being there will take some of the sting out of our recent loss.