phew!

i rolled up into the snowy smc around 3 this morning. words can't describe how happy i am to be home. i vacillate between being an adventurer and a homebody, and i definitely feel some homebody'ness coming on. i walked in to find this on the island:

front cover - "welcome home! you will find a note inside and a surprise"
inside left - "I hope you have fun! I have something to tell. Did it snow? It sure did in Maryland." Inside right - "Hope you had fun! We had fun at Lily's if your asking. Love you! Love, Addie"
Back cover - "Have fun at HOME! Love, love, love, love, love, love, kiss, kiss, kiss YOU"
she told me the surprise is a 5 minute back rub. i love that sweet and thoughtful girl.

the older i am getting the more weird anxieties i am getting. i had a wonderful trip, but the weather was awful. and i drove in it. a lot. we flew into slc sunday, drove down to provo (in a snowstorm where we saw no less than 6 accidents) monday, drove from provo to rexburg tuesday (that morning there were about 10 accidents in utah county alone), rexburg to idaho falls, and then back down to slc thursday. and everywhere in between.

then the flying. i don't love flying on a good day, so on a windy, stormy day, 2 big thumbs down. all the flights were delayed, but thankfully i got to the airport early enough to catch an earlier flight that was super delayed so i didn't have to risk missing my connection in colorado. which was then delayed until 7, making me arrive in dc at midnight, and home at 3. long travel day. i prayed and prayed and prayed while i whiteknuckle drove about utah and idaho. and i felt very blessed and calm. and ever so thankful to have everyone safely where they need to be.

i actually sat next to a pilot on my flight from slc to denver and when it was super turbulent i would watch his reactions and that made me feel a little better. just a little.

i got to see so many people i love, including this lady. we picked up right where we left off with deep gospel thoughts and feelings. she's a thinker and i love talking to thinkers about their thinks. i also was able to meet up with mindy on my way to the airport and we enjoyed a delish cafe rio salad before i headed home.

 

it was a wonderfully long trip and i was glad to go and i am glad to be home. it feels extremely strange not to have any big kids home, but they are in a good place and mostly where i'd like them to be, so that comforts me.

the house needs a mothers touch and to be de-christmatized like nobody's business, so that is the order of the day. but i want to blog-a-day and get caught up, so here's a first step. i always love a fresh new year with fresh new ideas and goals, and even though this one is starting a week late due to the gallivanting, i'm bringing it! happy 2017! it's gonna be a good year!