Back In Action

Did you miss us Shafers? We were on the road visiting the fam in Tennessee, and now we're back. Accents and all. A few highlights from our trip:

• starting our trip with a new battery and alternator courtesy of the Sri Lankin mechanics on the corner. Nothing says excitement like a big, fat repair bill.
• spending the night in a motel and hearing a tired Calvin say as he awoke in a strange place, "Mom, is this where we live now?"
• playing B-I-N-G-O with those Cruzes. Those silly, bingo lovin' Cruzes. Thanks for the memories. and the battery powered lantern, cute necklace, and chance at an ipod. LONG LIVE THE IPOD!
• Going out to lunch with friends, relatives, husband, and kids. A lot. The pants don't lie, and they're telling me that I ate out. A lot.
• hearing a dear old friend remind me that I once got mad at her for copying my mixed tape. I actually said, "You can't just copy someone else's mixed tape." Ahhhhhh, the unknown rules of adolescent friendships so easily broken. Thank goodness we managed to mend the relationship and move forward.
• making cream puffs with my Mom. I love you, Mom. I love you, i love you, i love you.
• listening to Wyatt cry and wail, "Rico is my BEST FRIEND!!!!" as we drove away to New York. Mind you, Rico is a small, brown wiener dog that he had met only five minutes previous. But what can I say? One canine best friend is worth a million mediocre, human ones. Needless to say Noah and I were laughing silent, parent giggles while solemnly trying to comfort him with, "It's okay. I know you love Rico. You'll see him again."
• Continental Breakfast.
• all of the warm weather days that afforded us the time to play croquet, shoot baskets, throw the football, visit the tire swing, jump on the trampoline, and ride bikes.
• a 2ND Thanksgiving Dinner. A real Thanksgiving Dinner, made for the second time. Jealous?
• one visit to Chuck E. Cheeses when the adult to child ratio was 6:2. Noah and I were in hog heaven, eating cheapie pizza and letting aunts, uncles, and grandparents help the boys spend the tokens.
• and last but not least - - - every single moment.