Well, if this feels like a choppy version, it's because I had a nice long version all written out, with nothing left to do but hit "publish", and it got wiped out irretrievably. I am tempted to say "we're home" and let it go at that, because I could not be more annoyed right now and still be sitting down. Here's a hint-if anyone out there is tempted to give me advice right now on blog postings, I suggest you not share it. (Edited to add that the post is done, the annoyance has passed, we can all go back to our regularly scheduled evenings, thank you.) ;)
The day started off with a variation of the same routine we'd been doing. Steve and Kaylee got up and went to breakfast, and I got up and started packing all of our things to prepare for our trip home. She didn't fall down and get hurt today at least! Mostly we spent the morning talking, and once I finished my packing, I started the book "Twenty Wishes". We got everything packed up and in the cars by 11 a.m., and went out to the lodge for the group family photo on the deck, prior to eating our last lunch there.
I have to tell you, it's a good thing I don't work there, or I would be as big as a house, because every meal is a full, large buffet. I never ate breakfast once, I didn't eat a single potato chip or other snack that was brought except for a few pieces of licorice our last night there, and I didn't eat an unreasonable amount for the two meals a day I DID eat, but it was still way too much food.
After lunch, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways. Kaylee was decidedly sad about that, and did not want leave. Lately she has loved the sense of being part of a 'big' family, and this year it finally seems to be sinking in that she has a very large extended family. From the Kansas reunion where everywhere she turned people were her aunts, uncles, and cousins, which she really enjoyed, to this week where she found more aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents, she has really just appreciated the connection with family. And several of them went out of their way to really make her feel like part of the family. Her cousin Micah in particular spent SO much time with her. He took her swimming, waiting at the base of the slide so she could come down over and over, catching her so she wouldn't sink to the bottom of the lake and be scared. He took her to feed the fish, out for ice cream treats and walks, out to a fire with S'mores, he played games with her, and he sat in her room at her bedtime and told ghost stories with her. He was patient and kind and very sweet with her, and she felt like she had a special friend who was also a "cuz". She also had several aunts and uncles who also just took the little extra time or effort-they listened, spoke to her like a "real" person too, went along with her little games, and just made it an enjoyable time for her, too. That really meant a lot to her, which means a lot to us.
When we got to the airport, there was actually life out there! The hangar was open, there were airplanes inside, and a few guys hanging out by a Chief (that's an airplane). They were really quite friendly, and the guy who runs the place came out and talked to us for awhile. He let us know that had the weather gotten too bad, he would have come out and towed our airplane into his big hangar, which we appreciated of course. I was doing the preflight, and I got the fuel cap on facing the wrong way. My hands were kind of full, so I left it that way for a minute while I put my stuff down, and then I came back and fixed it. He nodded at me and said "very good". Why, thank you. lol I just smiled and said "thanks". :) We left there on a beautiful day to fly. Steve crawled in the back with Kaylee to nap, play games and chat, and that left me in the front with the XM radio all to myself. This time the winds were at least not against us, and we made it home in an hour and 50 minutes or so, which wasn't bad at all. We landed right behind the Baron on a beautiful sunny afternoon, and it was good to be home.
I have plenty of laundry, unpacking and photos to do-I was going to try to have the photos done and up before I did the blog entry, but I took way too many, and that's not happening. So I'll work on them as I have time.
We got home and realized that we'd left our gel candles behind in the back of the airplane, and that with the temperatures like they were going to be, they would soon be little puddles of gel goo back there. So I got back in my car and headed out to the airport to retrieve our candles. I figured while I was out and about, I might as well catch up on a few things, so I stopped at the post office, the video Red Box store (since we are fully into Re-Run season again), and Burger King for a non-nutritious but quick dinner.
Well, I've got unpacking to do, and photos to work on, but I'm now tired enough I will probably do neither. We ate, I finished "Twenty Wishes", and we're going to watch a movie and relax a little before our day starts off gangbusters tomorrow. So to tie up some loose ends:
Happy Birthday to Ernie! Mr. Forty-Nine Years Old (or so). ;)
No, we are not affected by all the flooding you are seeing on TV in Indiana. It's all south of us.
Unfortunately Stephanie, Todd and Gabe can't come visit us after all. Life intervened. :(
That ought to about cover the last of my rambles!
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