Judging by the titles of three recent blog posts, it seems that tis the season for goodbyes. Last night I dropped by my Swiss friend Nathalie's good bye party. I first met Nath 12 years ago when she came to stay with a family friend who happened to live in my neighborhood and we built one of those bonds that will keep us good friends forever. She just finished her MA in social work and didn't get her work visa renewed, so she has to leave the country by Tuesday. Her flight is Wednesday and she hopes that doesn't irritate immigration too much. When I first walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to see my old friend Raquel who I've known for about ten years. Then there was Annalisa who I went on adventures with every Wednesday during an incredibly busy winter at Utah State in order to maintain our sanity. Later I found out that her brother is my super-cool neighbor Jeff who I sat next to yesterday in Sunday school. Small world! This sort of thing used to always happen to me in airports. It's been a while and I love it. I got to check out the amazing multi-level tree house that gets my imagination churning for my back yard, sit by the bonfire, enjoy some of Annalisa's cooking just like the old days, talk a little politics, be impressed with their garden which amazingly supplies nearly all their food needs for the whole winter, and was really, really happy that I found out about this goodbye party and made it down. But I'll miss you, Nath! Until we meet again (okay, that'll be Tuesday for lunch, but after that...!)