Can't forget

I've been blessed to travel to lots of places. In this country and out of it. And it's crazy. I get on a plane and step off in a place that I've only seen in pictures. Those pictures were usually what drew me to that place. Images burned in my memory that called me to come and see. Then I get there and see it in living/breathing/life. It usually gives me chills. I have to take a second to catch my breath and realize that I'm not closing my eyes and imagining that I'm there. I take a deep breath and drink in every piece of my surroundings.
Some of those places are a little different. I realize while I'm there that this place is unusual. The sights are amazing, just like I thought they would be. But there is something more. It's almost like a part of me had been living in the place all along. I feel like it's welcoming me. It feels familiar. Like I had been there before and made myself at home.
Hawaii, Prince Edward Island, Paris and Seattle have felt that way to me. When I came home, I couldn't get them out of my head. I could still smell them and feel them and imagine walking through the pictures I had taken. I wanted to go back the second I left. I think about them so often.
California was the same way. I miss it. I miss the sun, the palm trees, the sunsets, the warm breezes. I imagine living there at least once a day. The picture above is my screen saver. When it pops up, I always pause and stare at it for a couple seconds. I'm ready to go back. now.....