Midwest Living

Apparently, it takes less than 24 hours of being in the Midwest before a mysterious force compels you to wear a holiday applique fleece. Even if you don't own one, one will somehow find its way into your luggage.

Know this.

Our plane trip out here was uneventful. Getting three people and a stroller through the security checkpoint at SFO was comical as usual, but the staff was helpful and once that was over the rest of the trip was smooth flying.

Let's see... Trip highlights thus far:

• I put on this holiday applique fleece to go running, but I might end up wearing it all day. When in the Midwest...
  
• It's cold here by our spoiled California standards, 30-40 degrees and windy. Brrr.
  
• The kids were excited to see Grammie Martha, and they love her big, two-story house and the fact that she is willing to cater to their every need.
  
• Yesterday we went to Walgreens, Sam's Club, and Target, and today we're planning on going to Costco and Target.
  
• I realized that I am addicted to washing clothes, as I've only been on vacation for less than one day and I'm already doing a load.
  
• I forgot to take my daily photo yesterday. Too bad 'cause I was wearing a cute travelling outfit of white jeans, a pink shirt, and an ecru sweater. I'm part of the old school crowd that believes one should dress nicely when one travels.
  
• Yesterday we visited my aunt Mary, uncle Jim, cousin Kevin, and cousin Peter. We had dinner and made music together. My aunt Mary is a talented pianist and all-around believer that children should be exposed early to music. Boy, wasn't I happy when she asked me what I was doing musically with the kids and I actually had an answer -- Half Moon Music Together every Friday! Whew, passed that test with flying colors, thankyouverymuch.
  
• I'm taking pictures, but I'm not going to upload any until I get home. I don't have my laptop with me.
  
• Today we're having my aunt Davida and cousins Jessica, Trevor, and Henry over for dinner. Jessica will spend the night. She's twelve and loves hanging out with my kids. It's great to see them together. I'm hoping she can come visit us in California this summer.
  
• I can't decide if I should go running or skip straight to eating a giant Italian beef sandwich.
  

More later! Happy Thursday to you. Lots of people have a vacation day tomorrow; hope you're one of them!