Jetlag

Sunrise at 33,000 feet.

Ah, the joy of writing. I've missed it so! There's so much to catch up on and so much to tell. Due to familial expectations while overseas for the past month, I had no time to write, though I found plenty of time to muse over the things I would write if I could. I debated backdating entries and posting things as though they had just happened, but decided against that for two reasons. First of all, it feels a teensy bit like lying, or at least manipulating the truth, and secondly, it's difficult finding time to write with the two little ones (and occasionally one or two big ones) needing constant attention and supervision. If I try to write everything I've wanted to over the past month or two, I'll be so far behind that I may never write current things again.

The next thing to decide, then, is what to tell and what to leave out. What to summarize and what to expound upon. I could sit here for an hour trying to decide, then go to bed, or I could write whatever comes to mind, then go to bed. I'm tired of thinking and I'm enjoying writing, so prepare thyself for haphazard ramblings.

In June, after sending the baby grackle on its way, we had a family reunion, three birthday parties, the traumatic separation from our cat, the second anniversary of the loss of the girls, and the flight to England. I didn't know most of the people at the reunion, though there were a few I recognized. The last reunion I went to of this branch of the family tree was about 20 years ago. I managed to reconnect with a long-lost cousin who now lives in Dallas and to garner rave reviews for my baklava, which, though I hate to brag, won the dessert contest. Obviously I don't hate to brag quite enough to actually refrain from it. There were lots of yummy desserts there, though, I must say, so the decision couldn't have been an easy one.

Two of the birthday parties were for Layth, who turned 3. One at Chuck E Cheese the weekend before his birthday with a homemade Blue's Clues paw print cake (I was pretty proud of myself, despite Justin's running commentary on how there was really nothing to be proud of,) and one at home on the actual day of his birthday with cupcakes. The third was more of a birthday dinner for Justin, who turned 16. Between lunch and dinner of that day I completely lost my senses of smell and taste. They still haven't come back fully, and while I first suspected it was a relic of my bout with Guillain-Barre Syndrome in 2004, I've since come to suspect that it might be chronic sinusitis. Once K goes back to work and gets our insurance in order, I'll actually go consult a doctor or two.

Nutmeg, our kitty, spent the past month living at The Cat Connection, where she enjoyed a playroom, kitty TV, and a bird (to watch, not to eat) while we were away. We did miss her, though K briefly considered letting them keep her rather than paying the $450 it cost to get her back. After dropping her off, we went to the cemetery to visit the girls with a basket of flowers. I always clean the markers while we're there, too, as they get dulled by dust and mud. I can't believe it's been two years. Sometimes I remember it like it was yesterday, and other times it feels like forever since I've been able to hug or kiss them.

We flew to England on the 29th of June. I could fill a whole page with the mishaps of that day, but I'll summarize by saying we were late leaving the house, our flight was delayed, we missed our connection, we nearly missed the last flight of the day, were separated on the flight when we did finally get on board, and couldn't get Layth to sleep on the overnight portion of the flight, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the miniature palm tree decorating our gate at the airport. With its one remaining leaf, which was wilted and threatening to drop if I stared at it hard enough, a picture of it would have been all the summary I needed. We arrived in England a day and a half ahead of our nine pieces of checked baggage. On the bright side, it was the easiest trip through customs we've ever had, and Continental Airlines paid for our necessities. I'm not sure yet if they'll be convinced that a large stuffed dog is really a necessity, but a three-year-old has to have something to cuddle at bedtime, right?

As for our stay in England, I finished a few books (Little Children, Everything's Eventual, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and The Silmarillion,) watched a few movies (War of the Worlds, Wedding Crashers, Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, and Meet Joe Black,) went to a few parties (Pakistani-style,) and ate much more than I should have. The scales at the home of my in-laws were very generous and told me I lost 10 pounds. I knew better than that, and was actually very satisfied to discover upon our return home that at least I didn't gain anything. The highlights of our trip, (other than all the visiting with family and friends, of course,) were The Trafford Centre, which is my all-time favorite mall, and our trip to Greenacres Farm Park in Wales, where we got to hold baby animals and bottle-feed baby goats. Mina and Layla would have loved it. The London bombings dominated the news during our stay, though fortunately we were nowhere near London, staying in Manchester instead. Our return trip from England included flight delays and luggage inconveniences and was only marginally better than the outbound trip.

As nice as it is to be home and to be the queen of the castle again, it will take some time to get back on schedule where housework and bedtimes are concerned. The children are still somewhat on English time, Maya more than Layth, and this doesn't leave a lot of time for me to sleep. I've been too tired to get much else done, and haven't even unpacked yet. With that said, I'm going to try to catch up on some of that sleep now.