Packing is almost done and we and are finishing up the final cleaning today.  Tuesday I said good-bye to the B&R boys, last night was my final Lindley rehearsal, and tomorrow we head home.  It is a sad and happy day here in the A-W flat.

On the bus home from town yesterday (after our final bank visit) Sarah started crying.  To say that these 10-months have been transformational for the two of us and our marriage would only scratch the surface of what the time has meant.  While Sarah was not able to do any work here as a midwife, she has indeed enjoyed her time away from working 100 hrs/week.  And we have discovered a new and greater understanding of each other, what we want out of life, why we do indeed love each other, that we also actually LIKE each other, and how we want our life in America to change.  Just imagine waking up and realizing (after 18-years) you did in fact marry the person of your dreams, and you can get a sense of how nice it has been.  Very cool indeed.

While I can’t speak for Sarah, I can report that this sabbatical has changed me as a husband, father, bandsman, cornet/trumpet player, musician, educator, and person.  At my core I guess I’m the same, but I can’t go back to living the way we did, driving everywhere, having a crazy schedule, playing every gig, being driven to make money, and in general living to work rather then working so that we can live.  Constant exposure to great brass players, brass bands, and brass music while not having a TV or car has been a personal revelation.  Walking everywhere and taking public transportation while living in a small flat, has had a profound influence on our family, on the girls, and our relationships with each other.   In short we come home to Glassboro different people and a different family then when we left 10-months ago.

Indeed the good-bye to Lindley, Huddersfield, and West Yorkshire is not forever.  In the coming months and years, we will see a steady stream of our new UK friends coming to visit South Jersey, Tromba Mundi will be here in Dec. 2011 to play with Lindley, and I’m working to get B&R over to Rowan for a brass festival in about 18-months.

So long for now, thanks for reading, for your support, and for the comments.  It has been fun to write the blog in an attempt to give you a little taste of what this has all been about.

For those of you from ABB who are reading:  I’ll see you @ 6:30 on Sunday

For my Rowan students:  Rowan Trumpet Boot Camp II is 24-27 Aug.  Will you be ready?

For the rest of you:  Is there anything we can do about the sorry state of the american “beer” industry?  I’m already getting withdrawal shakes……

Cheers,
B-