9/24 Home Again!

It's good to be home. The house smells a bit musty because of the soggy basement. A reminder that it's back to the to-do list. Sort of. For now, and hopefully from now on, a less urgent and complicated to-do list.

Turns out Harry did meet me at the airport with the kids. I'm so grateful for that! I saw able to snuggle with them in the back seat and tuck them all in to bed. Gosh, I just love those kids so much.

Getting back into the country was no easy feat. First, we were a bit delayed because the airline wanted to hold the plane for 2 late arrivals. WHAT?!?! That was ME a couple hours ago--and I was just 2 minutes after they completed boarding, not 2 minutes before the plane was supposed to take off! It was a deep breathing, all-is-okay moment. We ended up leaving without them. I feel their pain.

I had an empty seat next to me and then there sat a huge Elvis-looking dude from Wyoming who wore his sunglasses the whole ride and drank the flight attendants out of beer and wine. I tried to stay comfortable but my body is just sore. When we landed I needed to pick up my luggage at the terminal, then go through passport verification, then recheck my bags, then go through customs, then take the tram to the main baggage claim area and pick up my bags again. Well, my big overpacked suitcase full of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and my new leather purse never made it from Paris. That agent in Paris just did not have much pull, I don't think. I'm hoping it will show up today with everything intact.

I'm already recognizing after a week with no TV that it is just toxic. Not that this wasn't something I didn't already know, but I'm reminded of how the news, the commercials, the noise pollutes my mind. I'm so glad it was "Green Screen" week at school this week so my kids haven't been watching it either. Maybe we can hold on to this trend.

I'm so glad I did this blog. It's going to serve as a timeless memory for me (my own memory doesn't always serve me well since having kids). I can't wait to upload and label all my pictures. I'll get to that later today, but right now I need a nice hot shower...and to finish my second tall mug of plain 'ol coffee.