January 3

It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed, but somehow they have, so tomorrow we'll board a plane and fly back to California. With our departure just hours away, today was one comprised primarily of "administrative details" like packing and putting away Christmas decorations, but of course there was time for chit chat with grandma during the morning hours.

After we returned the little Christmas tree to my mom's house this afternoon, we gave in to Brady's repeated requests for a Slurpee (because winter is a great time for icy treats!) with a pit stop at 7-Eleven. That made way for a lazy rest-of-the-afternoon, which saw Adam taking a long walk along the winding country road that fronts the house, the boys playing together, and me (and sometimes Abby) joining grandma for some TLC TV and Dr. Phil.

Then this evening, 3/4 of Bobby's family (Brendan had another commitment) came over to join us for Ledo pizza and a few more minutes of play-time for the cousins. The kids were all a little blue when they left, but I know they're glad to have had the chance to see them.

I say this just about every time I head back to California after being in Maryland, but it's tough to be bicoastal. It's hard to be away from family for extended periods of time and it's strange that my kids don't know my relatives particularly well. But I'm grateful to have had this time here and I'm thankful for every connection we were able to make during this trip, because connecting with people is one of the best parts of this life.