I had a chance recently to come home! The circumstances surrounding why I came back home weren't exactly the most pleasant however what a very refreshing trip. I knew i was close to good ole Pennsylvania when I got a text message from Cory telling me that my room was ready and when I came home that I was to let myself in and go to sleep (PA hospitality). It was dark so I couldn't see the beautiful mountains that I remember but just felt like I was home. I walked into the "old house" and loved the old smells...(getting out of 2nd practice for football, dinner in the making...mom making macaroni casserole...hearing dad come down the stars in the morning) I woke up the next morning excited to see my brother ...and low and behold he left a message on my cell phone telling me to call him when I got up. So I did. I called and he left me hanging on but then he said "Jay I'm downstairs!" What a cool feeling!

Cory, Erin and I went to breakfast at a cool little diner in Altoona. I had something called "the mess" (only PA would have something named this). Cory? What's the name of the place? What a fun morning in Altoona. Then I spent the morning learning what my brother does for a living...makes my life look easy let me tell you!! I then left my brother and spent time with my other brother, Cory, and had a wonderful time enjoying a pizza place where I used to work. I really enjoyed the time thinking about how I used to "bounce" in a bar like that (nobody every required "bouncing" it was too much fun!).

The most memorable moment of my trip was meeting my nephew! What a sweetheart!. The second best was climbing the hills of "the valley" with my brother looking for pheasants. I saw a part of my brother...never thought i'd see. He was stealthy...he was a hunter!!! My brother was in tune with nature! I thoroughly enjoyed the fog lifting off the hills as Erin and I walked up a steep crest. What a beautiful Pennsylvania view! Erin and I just walked up the side of a hill and he gave me pointers along the way just to get a glimpse of a ringnecked pheasant. Erin walked with the footsteps of an indian and I felt like I walked like a dog gonned trucker. There was a slight snowfall and just a bit of a crisp to the air. About that point, Erin just froze and I looked to his face to see where the world he was looking at cause I didn't hear squat. And there it was..a ringnecked pheasant. What a cool site! How did he see that? I don't know....maybe it's a Pennsylvania thing but that's pretty talented. The farmland was absolutely beautiful as Erin showed me his future home "lot". I saw the look in my brothers eyes and realized instantly why Pennsylvania is a beautiful place! It truly is!