crashing with a friend

right now i'm staying with a good friend. . while i love being at home, playing with my a-dorable niece and nephew, running errands with my sister, and keeping my mom company. . .i was starting to go a little awol.

my friend has a good way of putting it, basically when you are at home, you are on family duty 24/7. it's nice to just be responsible to myself. maybe that's a bit selfish. but i think i need it.

in any case, there have been some new developments to the hampton roads scene. a few centers with non-chain restaurants, cute coffeeshops, nice stores, etc. . i guess families with more money are moving in and there seems to be an economic shift towards more high end tastes. while i can't see myself ever moving back to newport news, i'm excited about the changes and the opportunties they will bring for my brother and sister who live near my parents.