brown is the ugliest color

18 hours after jocelyn, ellie, and aria got back from Florida we boarded another plane headed for OREGON. Best part is that this time i got to go! We were headed out to see Jenny (jocelyn's sister) and Rob (her fiance). I'd never been to oregon before- absolutely beautiful it was. We went up into the mountains and stayed for a few days in Rob's family's vacation home... it was awesome. (thanks to the brookes)

It was good being with Jen and Rob, it was good being away from work for a little while. It was good to spend fun time with my girlies, It was good seeing mountains and green, living things again. It was a great trip.

We flew home on Tuesday... a depressing day. And as we were going to land at Metro, i looked out the window. Everything was flat and BROWN and very un-oregon-like. The only thought that was coming to mind was "why are we living here?" I've traveled to beautiful places many times before, but i never remember returning home thinking michigan was quite so hideous as this time.

I used to think Michigan was pretty, have i been wrong all this time? or have i just had my fill of winter?

They're HOME!

Jocelyn and the girls came home last night. Life feels normal again. Ellie hates my guts, she wouldn't hug me, let me say that i love her or that i missed her. She kept just saying, "its not fair!" and jocelyn would ask her what wasn't fair (because if i did she would just scowl at me) and she would say, "it's not fair that i have to go to bed!" ... yeah back to normal alright. Aria (ARE-ee-uh, just thought i'd toss that in since i hear chronic mispronunciations of her name... who would've guessed) has gotten bigger, i'll toss some pictures up soon.

I should say in Ellie's defense that it was way after midnight, so she might have been a little over-tired. I can understand that because i'm pretty darn over tired at the moment. So if you see me today and i keep talking about stuff not being fair, just ignore me, or toss me a blankey.

happy FL kids

I've been calling jocelyn 13 times a day since they've been gone. I feel like such a loser because her nana and papa keep answering the phone and when i ask to talk to jocelyn they sort of chuckle, like "you big whiney baby!"

The thing that shocks me whenever i talk to joc is that i was half expecting the girls to give her a really hard time, being out of their normal element and all... throwing fits because of how much they miss their dad :) ... but that isn't even close to reality.

Ellie is still a toddler down there and a beautifully strong-willed kid, and she's having a great time playing at the beach and swimming around. She won't even talk to me on the phone. When jocelyn makes her, I inquire how the trip is going, how is she liking FL and she responds, "I love you daddy bye!" and hands the phone back. Apparently florida is THAT good.

Aria has ALSO fallen in love with Florida. Jocelyn says she's never been happier. She hardly gets upset, she's sleeping really well, she's become the perfect baby. Despite the ego damage (how can she be so happy when she hasn't seen her dad for DAYS!) i'm glad that things are going so well, jocelyn deserves a nice trip.

But all this has led me to the all important conclusion: We are clearly living in the wrong state!

sad

i miss my girlies. And they've only been gone for about 18 hours now. i'm pathetic, but i'm not used to this. Even on days when i get up and go to work before they are awake, i'm missing them like crazy come 5:00.

It could be that I'm pathetic. Or it could be that GARRETT GIRLS ROCK!!! and once you've had them in your life going back to life w/o them is crap.

have fun my loves. but come home to me soon.

i got nothin'

I must be honest. I have started about 10 blog entrys, including a few replies to posts. I have deleted them all. I'm not sure that i have one complete coherent thought left in my head. I start to type, then i delete, then i undo, then i backspace, then i just quit. I am afraid of all of you!!!! I think I'm trying too hard. So, instead of trying to be somewhere I'm not (in the mode of intellectual thinking) I will be as i am (entrenched in my family and the goings-on therein).

We are going to Florida tomorrow to visit my grandparents, Nana Great and Papa Chuck, to Ellie. Its me, my mom and the girls. I think i might be crazy to try to do this without my husband. Its going to be a girls weekend (lotsa girls + my papa). I am looking forward to being in the sun, taking ellie to the beach, and giving her the opportunity to know her Great grandparents. I am also secretly hoping to get a tan and read a magazine, perhaps while my mom and nana goo over the baby and ellie takes a nap). The weather is supposed to be lovely, so I am excited for the trip.....so we'll be there until Tuesday. Then, on Thursday (yep, two days later) our family, including the husband this time, will all go out west to Oregon for 5 days to visit my sister Jenny and her fiance Rob. That should be super fun - I can't wait to see Jennys apartment and to get a feel for her new life out there, in the west.

I have alot of fear about these next two weeks....kids could get sick, they could be up all night, i will really miss Dion while we're in Florida....I am thankful, however that I am able to travel to see people i love. So, hopefully I can act like it. ie. let go of my fear and just roll with it and have fun. :)

Now before I overthink this, read it a thousand times hoping i didn't spell something wrong or offer an incomplete thought, resulting in the deleting and quitting...I am gonna "publish post"....