We came home to the welcome scent of lilies. (Mark)

I woke up yesterday to the embrace of my Beloved.  Slowly opening my eyes, I looked into the beautiful face of Laini and wished I could stay there all day.  Alas, I knew I had to arise and start my day, so I got up, took a shower, and said my prayers.  Before we went downstairs, we looked outside to see how it looked after the snow finally stopped.

  We were greeted to a holiday greeting card picture.  The snow covered the trees and laid on the ground and buildings in an unspoiled blanket of white.  After taking in the beauty, I started moving the luggage down to the car…it’s amazing: we only left for three days, and yet our luggage filled up the back seat of Princess (our car)!  Where did we get all of this baggage?  Did it reproduce?  Did we have luggage babies?  After we had breakfast of home fries, mixed fruit, and coffee, we began our trip back to Norfolk.  It was a nice drive – the highway was clear until we reached the exit for Norfolk, and that is when we hit the ice and snow that had not been cleared yet. 

Driving through Norfolk was treacherous as there were huge patches of ice – talk about nerve racking.  We headed to Starbuck’s for our usual drink: Peppermint Mocha Latte made with whole milk and an extra shot of espresso and an extra pump of Peppermint.  We also got a treat and sat in the seating area, drinking our drinks and munching on our Gingerbread Loaf.  We chitchatted for a little while about the weekend and generally enjoyed each other’s company before we headed home to what we envisioned was a cold apartment.  We then headed home, driving through snow and ice until we finally made it to our driveway and parked in our parking area.  After parking we headed up the stairs to our apartment.  We touched the mezuzah and turned the key.  I was greeted to a sweet, heavy smell that filled my nostrils and enticed my senses…  It was the lilies I had bought for my Beloved before we left.  The apartment was surprisingly warm, and I felt a sense of "I'm home."  I loved the weekend in Williamsburg, but now it's so good to be back home with my
Beloved.