Home

They say you can never go home again. Well that's not true, I went home last week.

And if you're lucky like me, your room will still have all your high school pictures framed in it so you can be reminded that you were once much skinnier and your kids can ask about the not daddy pictures still on display.

Here's a few random thoughts about my visit:

We used to have a nice van. This is what the van looked like after 8 hours in the car with two toddlers.

And packing for two toddlers is like touring with Britney Spears. Seriously, we were gone for four days.

The zoo serves beer. This is genius. My mom, who forgot her glasses and just had eye surgery, was somehow able to spot a lone beer tap 50 yards away behind a concession stand. It was impressive. It's a super power I hope to have one day.

Granted, the beers were $6.25 a piece, but it made it much easier to have this conversation 98 times.

"Can I pet it?"
"No, that thing would rip your arm off."
"Oh. Can I take it home?"
"Still no."

(For clarification I had this conversation with my three year old, not with my mom.)

You can feed a giraffe at the zoo. For $3 you get three pieces of lettuce. Three. I felt like I was at Whole Foods.

Going snail hunting also looks like harvesting mounds of poop. Here's Harper with my little sister holding snails. Or poop. You decide.

My brother and sister-in-law have one baby yet they both carried a diaper bag when they came over. At first I thought it was a bit much. But then I got to wondering what they had that I don't have. I bet they have secret non mediocre parent things in their diaper bags. I just started watching The Walking Dead (yes I realize I'm late to the bandwagon), and it's caused me to look at people differently. I want to be near those two should a zombie apocalypse happen. I feel like they'll be prepared.

Speaking of preppers, my older sister might be one also. She brought a pool bag with her one day. Here's a list of the contents: swim suits, towels, water bottles, a box of frozen fettuccine alfredo. I have no explanation for this.

Also Sweet Violet has to be the only kid on the planet that doesn't cry during the eight hours in the car, but then cries for six straight hours once we reach our destination. Thanks for the memories Violet.

Harper the Brave caught her first fish with my dad. In theory that is a happy occasion. In reality, it has created an addict. I get hit with a plastic hook at least twice a day because she's "practicing" casting. The dogs don't even come out of their cages anymore.

Like any visit home, there are people we didn't get to see and people we didn't get to see enough of. When I'm home, I simultaneously feel that I haven't been home long enough and that I have been home too long and need to get the kids back on their schedules and routines before they become monsters. 

And like any family, there is always the occasional unsolicited advice. But with that advice comes their unwavering, unconditional love. Knowing that I could be having the best day of my life or the worst day ever and this group of crazies will love me and my girls exactly the same, with as much enthusiasm, on both days, is an amazing feeling. And for that, I am forever grateful.