ooh doggie, aka: pew

One of these days I will get really smart and set ourselves up for the return. As we scamper about getting ready for a trip I’m always too busy, or too preoccupied to prepare for the fact that we will actually come back.

Well last night we did just that. Our toddler was dead to the world, asleep in the plane, asleep during the van ride home, and still asleep when we plopped her into bed. The older girls were desperate for bed as well. Missing their Nana, travel weary, and freaked out by the way-out-of-the-norm-fact that it was nearly midnight and they were still awake, they simply couldn’t crawl under their covers fast enough.

Our trip was fantastically wonderful, but the day after? Not as fun. I guess it’s mostly the fridge I’m talking about. Milk, beans, and lettuce left by their lonesome for ten days? Pew. Leftover airplane snacks for breakfast? No thanks. Next time perhaps, after contracting the three pet sitters, (dog, snake, and hamster all went separate ways), a plant waterer and cat feeder, and a substitute shipper for Feeleez, I will remember to contract a fridge cleaner-outer and refresher. Someone that comes in the day before and fills the fruit bowl, dumps out stinky milk, and fills the cupboards with fresh staples would be dreamy.

But really, despite the compost fumes burning our nostrils, we can’t complain. We are filled up. Ten days of tender grandparent care, long drives that made for intimate conversations, beach sand between our toes, and damp southern air sifting onto our shoulders, made a mark. We are content human beings.  And coming home to Missoula keeps our souls buoyant. Green trees, a river that cuts straight to the heart, and the embrace of favorite-est friends makes for a sweet transition.