Home Sweet Home

     Back to my regular life.  Today I did laundry at my own house, loaded my own dish washer, and cleaned up my own house.  There is something really nice about that.  I love being on "vacation," but there is a great quality about being in your own home.  It is enjoyable to see my kids playing with their friends and my friend drinking a Starbucks with me here in my home.  I know I have written this before, but I want to make each moment that I have count.  I want to enjoy each moment that I have with my husband, kids, and friends.  I feel like that has been a theme that I keep seeing.  Thank you to everyone who is helping to teach me that.  My parents and sisters when I am able to be with them.  My mother-in-law when she shares from her love, her life, and her loss.  My son's preschool teacher who tells me not to worry about what it will be like when I have to send my baby to kindergarten next year, but to enjoy each day as it comes.  My friends when we get time to connect and laugh with each other.  My kids when I watch them grow more and more everyday.  My husband when we talk about how crazy it is that we have been married for almost nine years already.  How did that happen? 
     I want to make each day count.  I saw this quote on a friend's Facebook post, "“Harold Hill: You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering.”  ― Meredith Willson, The Music Man: A Musical Comedy.  How about you?  Are you making today worth remembering?  Thanks for reading.  :-)

Finally!!

    Note:  I wrote this yesterday and it didn't get published.  :-)   I am at my home!  Our flight last night was so delayed that we would have missed our connection and would have been stuck at the Chicago airport for 24 hours.  So, I had my parents come back and get the kiddos and I from the airport, after we had already been there for over 2 hours, and we stayed at their house again last night.  Then this morning, about 12 hours from when we were at the airport, we left again to go back to the airport.  We went to Washington DC on an hour flight, had a 3 1/2 hour layover and then a 5 1/2 hour plane ride home.  The kids did really well, but I am still VERY tired.  Thank you all for your prayers.  Tomorrow, I hit the ground running into "normal" life again.  :-)  Thanks for reading.  :-)

On the Road Again....

     I can't wait to be OFF the road again.  Traveling will start when we leave my parents' house at 3:45pm eastern time to go to the airport.  Then we will leave on a plane at 6:25pm and have a short ride.  We will get on a plane for a longer ride (after perhaps jogging through the airport).  Then by 1:37am we will be home.  Please pray that the trip is good for the kids and I and that they sleep on the long flight.  Thanks for reading.  :-)

Family Time

     I have had a lot of sister time the last two weeks.  I have three sisters.  They are 6, 7, and 10 years younger than me.  It has been fun to get to do the things that they like or talk about their lives.  My middle sister is getting married in July.  We went wedding dress shopping, talked about the wedding, reception, pictures, and tons of other things.  We also played games together (with our Dad and her fiance) and talked about tons of other stuff. 
     I have another sister who has a little baby girl just four and half months older than my two year old.  It was fun to watch the kids play together and to talk about what was going on with the kids.  Also, we bonded over an iPhone game.  You know those ones that you play and there really isn't a point.  Well, she has one on her phone because her little girl likes to watch it.  I played on her phone some while she was at my parents' house.
     My baby sister is in college.  I got to learn more about her classes.  Tonight she baked cookies for us.  The kids, my Mom, my baby sister, and I went shopping today.  It was tons of fun to just hang out with her and learning more about who she is.
     I love hanging out with my Mom and Dad too.  They are my friends.  I enjoy seeing how my kids light up around them.  My kiddos want to play with them all the time.  I enjoy talking with them about little things that are going on in life and big things too.  I talk to them often on the phone, but there is something different about being in the same room.
     I know that we are coming back in four months for my sister's shower and her wedding, but it is still hard to say goodbye.  I know there will be tears at the airport.  I try to teach my kids that it is ok to be sad that we are leaving-we will miss PaPa and Mima and their Aunts, but also we are going home to Daddy.  So, we can be excited about that.  Emotions are weird, aren't they?  Learn about those around you.  Be joyful when you are around them.  But, it's to be sad sometimes too.  Tomorrow I have to remember that it's ok to feel all the emotions that the kids and I are feeling as we travel.  I want to do a good job of letting them feel.  Thanks for reading.  :-)

Time

     Time is funny.  Why do the last few days of my trip to see my family seem so precious?  It's not that all of the time isn't special and important.  When you live as far away from family as we do, any time together is life giving and treasured.  With that said though, when you know people are leaving soon and you won't see them for months, or when we are driving to the airport, I want to breathe in every minute.  Not waste a thing.
     Why don't we always live like that?  Treasure the people we are with when we are with them?  Enjoy where we are while we are there?  I know that I am better at it now.  But i could be better.  i want to actually engage. I want to be making memories.  Go make some memories with the people around you.  Thanks for reading.  :-)

Nerd

     I am a mega nerd.  It's true.  I just helped my sister with her taxes and I loved it.   I really like to do taxes.  My father in law would be so proud.  He used to do our taxes, but when he passed away, I started to do the taxes for my husband and I.  I love doing it.  I look forward to tax time.  I think of it as a  challenge.  I know that I can defeat them.  Also, I have found the IRS people to be nice and helpful if I do have questions.  But, just so you know.  I am a mega nerd.  Thanks for reading.  :-)

Memories

     Today I had one of my favorite kinds of pizza.  It is from a small pizza place from where I grew up.  I love having the pizza when I am in town.  My sister loves to get it when she is here too.  I think it is because it reminds us of growing up.  You know those tastes and smells that just trigger good memories?  This pizza is one of those.  Both my husband and my sister's fiancé think the pizza is fine, but they don't love it.  My husband is not excited to get it when he is in my hometown, but he eats it because I like it.  But the guys don't have the same great memories associated with it.  They weren't there when we would get two trays of it and go to Gram's house and hang out with our cousins.  They weren't there for the birthday parties and late nights eating that pizza.
     We can tell them all abut the memories and they can appreciate that we like the pizza, but they will never like it the way we do.  And that's ok.  :-).  I will still love my pizza, even though some people might not ever understand.  So, what are your things that bring back good memories?  A favorite food?  Song?  Movie?  Share the experience with someone you love, just so you can tell them the stories about it.  You will love it and they will love learning more about you.  Thanks for reading.  :-)