I’ve babbled before about how much I love the monastery in Bebenhausen. In winter, here with Boo, in Spring, here with Karen. So of course I took my cousin & his husband there during their surprise visit a couple of weeks ago.

How I miss them already. My cousin is my spirit animal. We are two kindred souls. I look like my Dad’s side of the family. To quote my own words:

I sat in a room where half the faces were my own.

Toiny – I’m Smiling

It’s not just the faces that are the same. We see things the same way. Despite being raised half a planet apart, we have inside jokes. Things crack us up, when no one else is laughing. We love playing games, and while we love to win, it’s the playing that counts. We are in a fierce one-up battle of who owns the most games. It might be me.

Having Marco here is like having a part of myself back. A part I didn’t know was missing. His visit was a revitalizing breath of fresh air. A visit I didn’t know I needed. Or rather, I didn’t know how badly I needed his visit.

We went out sight-seeing for the day. To my favorite haunts, my favorite local spots. I went a little reluctantly, wanting to be home. Wanting to stare at our router box in the vain hope internet would return. Instead I packed up, grabbed my camera & hopped in the back seat. A brilliant choice, if I do say so myself.

Marco loves photography as much as I do. He likes walking slow, stopping often, adjusting all the little buttons. It was an entire day of walking at just my speed. It was an entire day of happiness.