Home again!

After ten days in Minnesota on my family's farm, I have plenty to say about our trip...but I'm not sure I could hold your attention all THAT long.  So, I'm taking a note out of Kari Patterson's book and doing a "thankful-for" post (inspired by her "Week's end with thanks" posts that show sweet snippets of her week and the blessings in it).

So, without further ado, I am so grateful for...

• Safe travel.
• Room to run and space to breathe.
• Not cooking or cleaning.
• Being back in the barn.
• Visiting family and old friends.
• Our first overnight getaway together since Pookie was born.
• Health and recovery after looooooooong colds.
• Air conditioning.
• Celebrating Pookie's birthday with ones we love.
• Lunch at the best Chinese place in the world.
• Best gas station breakfast sandwiches...twice.
• Rice Krispie bars made just for my birthday (if you're sensing a food pattern here, bear in mind that I am pregnant).
• Brunch at an elegant restaurant, knowing my little brother {all-grown up} was behind the kitchen door making our food.
• Long naps and restful nights.
• Watching Pookie blossom and thrive on the farm.
• Experiencing all my favorite things...and watching them happen through her eyes.
• Picking raspberries.
• Crying for the first five miles home...because it's always tough to see tears in your big, strong father's eyes.

And I think Pookie would have her own separate list:

• Skipping breakfast until Grandpa comes in from the barn and makes eggs.
• Going out to the barn.
• My Curious George birthday party.
• Two bouquets of birthday balloons.
• Watermelon nearly every day.
• The cows.
• The new baby calf, Meg.
• Red, the dog.
• Charlie, the cat.
• Chocolate always waiting for me in the barn fridge.
• Shouting "Happy Birthday!" and reminding everybody we had cupcakes.
• My own pool.
• Freezies after swimming.
• A parade...with horses and tractors and princesses and clowns and candy.  Lots of candy.
• Fireworks.
• Waking up with Mama and Papa in the same room as me.
• Going to the zoo.
• Having lots of extra people to love on me.

So, that was our trip in a nutshell.  We're mostly unpacked and I'm sure I could dig out the camera and share some more photos...but my brain hasn't quite gotten out of vacation mode yet.  Maybe soon...