alone again

Our guests are gone, baby, gone.

Jonathan's parents drove out for a week to see Colorado and the kids and Jonny and me, not necessarily in that order. We all had an awesome time. They really love Colorado and understand now why we had to get out of Dodge.

We took them all over, and they were such good sports about all of the driving around! Our favorite place would have to be Rocky Mountain State Park where we saw tons of elk. I have never seen elk before outside of a zoo, so that was so cool. They make the goofiest sounds! They're like gigantic, hairy whistling teakettles with antlers.


Susan completely spoiled the kids, giving them little gifts each day and buying them adorable sweaters and winter clothes and snowsuits and coats and boots! I had this weird epiphany while we were in Target picking our snowboots for the kids. I saw snowboots in my size one shelf over and I realized I will need a pair of snowboots this year. I have not worn boots of any kind since I was probably about 12 years old so this is very exciting to me.

They also spoiled Jonathan and me. They gave us 2 nights off and sent us to the movies one night (we saw "The Dark Knight" finally) and a gift card to P.F. Chang's another night. I had never been to P.F. Chang's but Jonathan loves it and has wanted to bring me there forever. We had a great time, but I am embarrassed to say I got pretty tipsy. I only had 2 glasses of wine (with a full dinner) but I guess the altitude really affects me or something because I felt like a complete lightweight!

But I think the best part of the week was really just hanging out with family again. Although this visit made me so homesick for my parents... It was great to see the kids with their grandparents. And to just sit and sip our coffee and talk... It was horrible watching them leave Sunday night. I was very worried about the kids. Because every evening when Susan and Shel left for their hotel there was this moment of "don't go ... I don't want you to go" pleading from Lion and/or Blue. But they are doing okay. So far no hysterics. They are playing with all of the toys Grammy and Papa Shel brought and they sleep with their new "Grammy pillows" at night:
I think they are just so little that they fall into routines pretty easily. I think this separation is hardest on all of the adults.

I am fighting to keep depression at arm's length. I miss my family a lot. It surprises me how strongly I miss my dad. Not to imply that I didn't think I'd miss him. I just thought it wouldn't be too different from before the move, since we really only saw each other every couple of months or so -- and neither my dad nor I are very fond of the telephone! But I miss him so completely. It is overwhelming. I think of him more now, I think, than I did at home. Probably partly because I know he is so far away but also because I think my dad would love it here. I can see him here in my mind, enjoying the view of the mountains and this endless sky, golfing in the afternoons, enjoying barbeque for dinner with an ice-cold beer and taking long hand-in-hand walks with Judi at sunset. Even the food here reminds me of him! Last week we stopped at Echo Lake Lodge again and had buffalo chili and cornbread and the most amazing blueberry pie. Dad would have loved it.