there should be pictures

I was blessed to spend the last 6 days in California with my family celebrating my Grammy's 80th birthday (twice!) and my brother's engagement.

Just me.  No kids.  Can I just tell you how easy it is to fly across country when you've got one suitcase and a large purse?  Amazing!  And once I got to my parents, I didn't have to worry about putting anyone to bed or when was the last time they took a shower or if they had clean underwear.  It was kind of wonderful.

It was a lovely long weekend, filled with people I haven't seen for years, some of my favorite foods (and way too much of them) and spent lots of time with my nephews who are growing up way too fast.

And I didn't take one single picture. 

Not a one.

My camera sat in my purse the entire time. 

I can't believe it.

But it was a lovely little vacation for me.  My Grammy got one heck of a surprise party, I got to spend time with my parents and I even had the privilege of watching my 4 year old nephew Colin on Monday while everyone else was at school or work.  He's always taken a bit longer to warm up to me when we visit, but he was my best buddy this time.  When you live so far away, even something like babysitting is a treat...and perhaps even more so when your nephew has an awesome imagination and tells you stories about how he hunted two squirrels almost as big as he is with a net and his sword from Disneyland =)

Today, we're back to reality.  Figuring out what got done school-wise while I was gone, cleaning and laundry and orders and piecings.   

And I must spend some solid time with a calendar.  Tomorrow starts the sprint to summer...Grandma Fee arrives for a visit next week and in the week following that, Hanna will be Confirmed and we'll celebrate Easter.  It will calm down through April (with Caleb's birthday at the end of the month) and May...and then June will be nuts.  Grandma Fee will be back at the end of May to join us for a trip to Kentucky for a wedding, with stops in Savannah and Knoxville (and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace).  At the end of June, my parents will arrive by train for a few days and then we'll be heading out to California with them...by train this time.  The end of June and most, if not all, of July will be spent in California. 

It's going to be a fast summer.

And next time, I will take pictures!