Whirlwind That Is Our Lives

Excuse my absence, we have been away and just returned a day or two back. I found it hard to blog during our trip... some excuse, huh?

That’s about the best way to currently describe our lives, and like any situation, you feel that all you have to do is make it through the next event and things will become calmer, only to lead into the next event.

We just got back from a nice trip to Ohio to R’s folks, and it’s always great to get the family together. Travel, however, is still a bit of a marathon, especially with the kids, though they have much more stamina than either of us. We spent about a week in Ohio hanging out and helping out where we could. I think R’s parents enjoy having us over, but it does throw a wrench into their routines, and a majority of that burden falls on JR, who cooks and cleans like crazy. She’s not used to feeding four extra mouths, three of which (myself included) have voracious appetites, but as usual, she did a stand-up job.

Last week R had a photography class downstate, which meant I was riding solo and taking care of business on this end, and let me tell you, it really clarifies how much parenting is a team sport. It’s tough to run the show alone, and I do most of the domestic duties. Plus, it is isolating to be around kids all day with not much in the way of adult contact. Factor in a busy week of kid’s activities, as well as work around the house mowing lawns, raking leaves, cutting firewood, and fixing a barn, and it’s a lot of work. It sure was nice when R came back home.

Not for long, however, because the day after she returned, we packed up our things and jumped on a plane to Ohio. Traveling is always an odyssey, and this one was no different. The kids were great, they really know the drill and do a fantastic job of cleaning their rooms and packing their stuff, packing light, no less. They get excited about traveling, and I’m happy about that because when you don’t travel much, you really lose the passion to get out there on the open road.

We spent a nice week in Ohio, then headed back and are now getting the kids ready for their camp. After their camp is over, we have a brief time of respite, and then we’re off to California, which I can assure you will not be relaxing but will without question be interesting. I’ll leave it at that.

In the meantime, as I sit here quietly in the house (it sure feels good to be back), I’m also thinking about getting my glorious freelance career going, but not before I have a cup of coffee, and maybe a cup of tea.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Clem103 for the pic.