After Mike's memorial service and reception was over and the majority of the guests had left Charlie and I said our good-byes, packed up the kids and headed to a hotel near the airport. The next morning we got up early and headed to Destin. I didn't really feel like going on vacation, but we had had it planned for over a year and it was the same trip (except we used to go to Myrtle Beach) that we've taken with the same people for the last 12 years.
We ended up having a three hour layover in Dallas so I called a few friends and we all met at Chick-fil-A (please spare me all the political B.S. that's been going on over the last week, I didn't know about it at the time and they really do have good chicken). It was exactly what I needed. Catching up with my good friends, even if it was only for an hour or so, helped take my mind of everything that had happened the previous week. Plus, I love them all and have missed them dearly so it was just wonderful to see them in person.
We didn't get into Destin until dinner time and the next two days, minus an hour we got at the beach, it rained. Normally that would be torture with eight kids under the age of nine in the house, but all of the older ones found a Nook or Kindle or iPad or DS to play and the two little ones just ran around having a ball. It was the perfect way for me to destress. I didn't have to do anything because we couldn't do anything. It was raining so hard we couldn't even go anywhere because we would have gotten soaked getting into and out of the car. By the time the rain stopped I was ready to start doing things. The rest of the week went by fast but we had a great time with fabulous friends.
Of course when it was finally time to go home I was ready. I had been gone for almost three weeks, about the same amount of time that I had actually lived in our new house. My neighbor joked later that they were worried about us and thought maybe we had already given up and moved out. Hmm, not a bad idea. Charlie did a great job with the house while I was gone and there were a lot fewer boxes sitting around and less general junk on the counters but it still needs lots of work.
The first thing I needed to do was laundry. Even though I did some on the trip and we came home with mostly clean clothes, we left a lot of dirty clothes behind. I think I did about eight loads in the last two days. There are three big baskets still sitting in my living room waiting to be put away. Then I called a handyman who thankfully had the entire day free today and came and did a bunch of things we just haven't been able to get around to.
Whether I like it or not we're here to stay so I need to make the best of it. Today I called doctors, finished registering the kids for school, paid all their fees (so glad they don't ride the bus because that would have cost us an extra $300!), paid bills and did a bunch of other things I can't even remember. I hung the first thing on the wall. It's a clock that I've had since college (April, the green Eddie Bauer one) that I have put up in every place that I have ever lived. It was time. The kids were great and kept themselves occupied. I think even they missed the house, or at least all their stuff.
We still have a few boxes to unpack, but only a few, and lots of stuff to organize, but we're getting there. School starts on Monday, which I have been thankful for many times in the past two days especially when I took all three kids to the grocery store at 6p yesterday, and then I should be able to focus a little more on finding a place for everything without so many distractions. In just a few short days we will be back on a schedule, a routine, and hopefully most of the craziness of this summer will be past us. Then we can just work on getting settled and enjoying everything that Colorado, or at least our little part of it, has to offer.
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