Back to Regular Life

Time flies when you are reentering regular life. I should have been blogging diligently this week since Brian took the girls to St. Michaels for part of the week and I stayed home by myself. I wanted to get back into the swing of work plus keep the cats company; they missed us a lot. Well, I did not blog, obviously. It will take me a little while to write about the last few days of our adventure in Europe and I want to write about a few more general topics too. If you are still reading, thanks. It must seem a little odd to read about our time in Europe when we are clearly back in Maryland, not even jetlagged anymore. It is even stranger to be writing while sitting here in The Nook, a little room in our house on Poe Road.

A few general observations about coming home. Dorothy was absolutely right, there is no place like home. The girls and I came back two days before Brian, for Lucy's team tennis tournament which I think I previously mentioned, at least six times was it? A minor blip when we had to turn around in the cab on Thursday morning because Julia left her passport in the apartment. Joy. The girls and I enjoyed "duty-free shopping splendor" in Brussels airport. Julia managed to hang onto 20 euros; Lucy and I were tapped out after last minute purchases.

My girls continue to impress me with what perfect travelers they are. I'm pleased to report that after a week plus at home, they are still eating salad and more interesting foods. And we still have a bit of Belgian chocolates left, even after one or two chocolate courses here in Bethesda. Julia got replacement shoes that are an exact replica of those she ruined at Porte de Hal. We all tucked the sweatshirts we had in Europe in the deep recesses of our closets (you know the ones, mine is pink; Julia's is striped; Lucy's is black); we might wear them again in 2012. Because of tennis it took us until Tuesday to completely unpack.

I love the way the girls talk about our trip already. Their perspectives on the world have changed in wonderful ways. We will cherish our experiences forever. After spending so much time with my daughters over the last eight weeks (including the three weeks when Brian was in Brussels before us), it has been a disorienting couple of days by myself. Well not completely by myself; the cats snuggle right next to me constantly.

I'll write my next post about something more specific from our trip. We did have some wonderful days I still want to share.