When the other mother comes to town we have our couch picked up by Salvation Army and plant our potted bamboo in the front yard before breakfast. We got the oil changed three days late, but 20 miles early – we wanted to be ready for anything. I grabbed our current book, ‘Tis, and thought we would drive to the airport early and read. As we were looking for a spot to park we passed the Gator by the Bay event and drove down to the Spanish Landing Park(ing) lot and were grateful for the hour we had.

Tickets were $30, otherwise we might’ve gone in, but we had just as much fun walking by the water, being dodged by bicycles because their lane was blocked off due to the event, smelling the Thai food and cotton candy at the crawfish and Blues event, and listening to live music through the chain link fence. We pulled up to the disaster that was the loading zone at the airport at 7:00 pm and soon I grew anxious and gave Caleb the driver seat as I went to wait inside – giving me twenty minutes to talk with a couple, take a picture of an orange and green dragon on the floor, and aww at the two kids holding a welcome home sign for their mom that had been gone a week.

Caleb had been craving a burger or pizza and thought the beef might be too much on his vegetarian stomach so we took Caroline, who flew in for a proper goodbye for the weekend, to Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company for an IPA, cheese-sticks, Cajun chips, and flatbreads – Javelin and Marathon. It was different without my dad there, but he was with us in spirit and dirty jokes. We left after getting a box for leftovers and having Caleb pay the check for his two ladies (or because he was faster getting to his wallet than Caroline).

We got home where the talking didn’t stop while we fed dogs, let them out, aired up the mattress, rolled out the sleeping bag, and changed into pajamas. Caleb gave Caroline a tour of the house – her first time visiting somewhere we live and the pictures are off the wall and lots of our things already in boxes. Caleb went to bed around 10:00 and Caroline and I to our separate beds around 11:30 pm so she could talk to her husband and read more of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ before going to sleep.