It's Good to Be Home

A friendly green sign on I-95 points me in all white caps to "Maine and Points North." I relax my shoulders and sigh a yes in response. My blood pressure drops and my high-five hand rises to pay air-homage to the first sign of hope on a long stretch of highway.

It's not that we didn't have a wonderful trip down south. We did. It was well worth the drive.

It's just that after being on my own for 9 days with two children, 24/7, living in a hotel room that continued to shrink with each passing noisy moment, I grew eager to be home.

Home, where the mess is. And the heart too. Let's not forget the heart.
Home to tackle a long list of errands, an empty fridge, a laundry pile with its own zip code. (It's funny how the presence of a washing machine became such an attractive amenity during our nine days away from home. I promise I won't complain about doing laundry now for at least a week.)

It's good to be home.

Home, where when Daddy takes a study break to watch a few minutes of hockey, Caed begs to watch too. Where he "calls for the white team", even though it's the Russians. And Daddy doesn't have the heart to tell him it's not the USA or that it's "root for" not "call for". Because it's so darn cute how he yells, "Come on, come on, win it! WIN IT!" And how he flops himself backwards on the couch when the goal isn't scored. How he says, "Oh man, we almost had it!" (And how by we he means himself and Alexander Ovechkin.)

Home, where Dani can wake up at o-dark-thirty without disturbing her slumbering brother. Where she can squirm in my lap as I type the last words of this post, determined to get a word in on the keyboard.

Home, where the coffee isn't instant and the milk doesn't come with a straw.

It's so very good to be home.

::

What comforts of home do you treasure most?

::

A shout out to the many friends who made our trip worthwhile! To Becky, Danielle, Laura, Aaron, Milyn, Libby, Jim, Cappie, Bill, Jen, Hugh, Scott, Mark, Natalie, Barbara, Brian, Dave, Amy, Erin, Carla, Kristen, Lisa-Jo, Kendra, Lisa, and Stacey! It was such a treat to see you all!