Well, here I am. Somewhere in the air between Houston and San Antonio. And as much fun as I had this weekend, I’m ready to see my people.
That’s the part of having kids that you don’t understand until you have one. It’s so nice to get away, what with all the uninterrupted sleep and the not eating at McDonald’s, but I miss Caroline like crazy and can’t wait to see her so that she can ignore me completely and act completely indifferent that I’m home after being gone for more than 48 hours.
And since I wrote that part while I was still in the air, I can now report that when Caroline saw me she gave me a big hug and told me I smelled like a sleeping bag.
I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t necessarily sound like a compliment.
Motherhood is an endless joyride of happiness, guilt and wonder.
So, how to sum up the weekend?
It’s a weird thing to meet people you feel like you know, but yet have never met in real life.
In reality, I knew more about Sophie and Shannon going into this weekend than I know about the mamas who drop their kids off at school with Caroline or that I see at the playground twice a week.
I know about their kids, their husbands, their faith and the things that make them laugh. I know some of the things they’ve struggled with over the last couple of years and how they’ve dealt with it.
Most importantly, I know that Sophie’s hair is a little blonder than she’d like and that Shannon is concerned about her hair being too short.
But this weekend I got to know them in real life. We got to talk about how we feel about our families, our lives, and our faith in person.
We got to hug and laugh and cry. We got to shop at Steinmart together. And Walmart.
And y’all know what they say, you don’t really know a woman until you’ve shopped with her.
Or maybe I just say that.
But it’s true.
And as much as I was ready to get home and hug my people, I’m sad that the weekend ended so soon.
I owe a huge thank you to Casting Crowns and Provident Music for sending me to Birmingham this weekend. It was everything I thought it would be and more.
I can’t say enough that if you get the chance to see Casting Crowns, Leeland, and John Waller in concert, you must go.
And if you can’t go, buy their CD’s. It will be money well spent. They are just the real deal.
The real, talented, humble deal.
Much like the girls I met this weekend.
Oh, and one last thing.
P didn’t see me leave Friday morning because I left at the crack of the crack of dawn. When he picked me up at the airport this afternoon, and saw the size of the suitcase I took for the weekend, he was honestly speechless.
Here is Caroline curled up in my suitcase after I unpacked tonight.
I think P may have a point. A bag that you could pack your child in and still fit in a nice pair of boots is probably a little overkill for a weekend trip.
I just need options.