A Little R-and-R and a Lot of Sushi

Typically when I leave my family for a day or two I miss them a little.
If I leave for more than a day or two (almost never happens) I miss them a lot.

This trip was different.
And by different I mean surreal.
Actually it was so surreal that at times I needed to pinch myself and say "There's no place like home, there's no place like home". I do have three kids, oh yes and a husband. I do have a uber amazing church, a neighbourhood in the suburbs, a community of homeschool families just like me, and I drive a mini-van. The thought of the mini-van brought me back to reality. Ahh, the mini-van.
It was so surreal I almost forgot to miss my family.

You see ... on most days I don't:
- have 4 hours to read on an airplane
- take a taxi from the airport to my hotel (shock of all shocks, I'm no longer a taxi-virgin!)
- have chocolates left in my room
- have time to run in the morning before breakfast (let alone in Stanley Park!)
- get gifts and books given to me throughout the day
- meet amazing women from around the country who are in the same boat as me
- have 2 hours to listen to speakers encourage me, challenge me and fill me up
- eat sushi (real sushi, not the fake grocery store sushi rolls) THREE times in three days!
- make jewelry and it's NOT a kid's craft
- NOT wash one single dish or clean up after anyone but me
- spend 2 fantastic days with my brother and sister
- hang out with people who have crazy cool jobs and travel the world on a regular basis

It was surreal.
It did not seem like my life.
But it was real. Every bit of it. Including the fact that I met the band Helix in the airport and had a three hour counseling session with the woman next to me on the plane. I now officially have my airplane conversation story!

The sushi was amazing - believe it or not I even tried some raw.
Vancouver and Squamish have got to be the most beautiful places in the world. Breath taking at times.
And time with my siblings could not be beat. We haven't had chill time as siblings alone since ... well, since never. That's what happens when one flies the coop and lands in BC, the other ends up in Alberta and me, well I'm a home body known to roam. It was good to be together.

My bags are unpacked.
The laundry is done.
The house is tidy.
My menu for the week is planned and my fridge is full.
It's good to be home.

That's the funny thing isn't it? It's so good to get away, experience for a time life so different for your day-to-day. It's so good. But what makes it even better is knowing that home is at the back-end of the trip. There IS no place like home. And yes, I did shed a little tear when my kids jumped out of the car at the airport, yelled "Moooommmyyy" and proceeded to hang all over me for the next hour. I guess deep down I did miss them. My sushi eating, taxi riding, mountain viewing days were amazing ... absolutely amazing. But it's good to be home.

ps I'm having huge problems with loading photos tonight. Apparently I exceeded my limit ... who knew! Photos will be up tomorrow. Check back. They are worth it.