my hibernation

We returned a week ago from a great nine day visit to southern california with family and friends. It was so good for us to be with people that know us and have history with us, I sometimes forget what that feels like. We needed this time of reconnecting and laughing, it refreshed us. But of course then there's the goodbye at the end and I was so drained. I dreaded coming back home and reprocessing our lives in a different place with different people again.
I ended up not leaving the house for four days! I didn't set out to, but I think it was just what I needed. I needed rest, quiet, time with family. I thought I'd be pretty moody but I wasn't, just very thoughtful. Trav was a champ and grocery shopped for us, took kids to play dates, etc, pretty much ran any needed errands we had so I didn't have to. I was a total bum. We also had a massive storm, along with the rest of California, that invited me to stay indoors. I watched the rain come down in torrents and the wind whip tree branches down all around our yard. I actually witnessed the splitting of a tree trunk and it falling into our driveway. We played lots of games, made cocoa, and the kids went crazy outside. Payton went through four outfits of wet clothes in one day. The rain kept beckoning her and she just couldn't resist going out again. I read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (sp?) in one night when our power was out for two days. I can't remember the last time I did that.
I finally did venture outside for a walk the fourth day to investigate how big the river had gotten with my dad and the kids. It was awesome and muddy and moving fast. Payton was impressed that all of her rock bridges she used to hop across were all under water.
We went to church on Sunday, yay for responsiblities and routine! They suck you back into life. I was ready. Today I was out with the boys for doctor visits, a stop at the Buttery for muffins and coffee, a walk with my sister, and a trip to Trader Joes. Life feels normal again. The days at home were what I needed. I'm ready to be expectant and see what 2008 has for us, I think.