While Boys Play, Girls Go Away. . .

Before we left for St. Louis, Steve had ordered himself a new Xbox Gaming system (he figured, why waste a brand new tv on piddly little games...). So it arrived a couple days after we got back. He taught me how to play the new game (Halo Reach) that came with the system, but I am not nearly as good as he is (he has a few years experience with the game on me). So, he asked if his friend (who just moved to Memphis) could stay the weekend and play games. My response, "Sure he can come, as long as I can go visit my parents :)". So, while Steve gamed with his friend all weekend, I spent time with my family in Indiana.

I drove all day Friday and arrived into town in early evening. I got to meet up with good friends for dinner before heading to my parents' house. My mom was the only one who knew I was coming. When I got home, my sister was the first to be surprised that I was home. Shortly after I surprised her, my brother and sister-in-law were surprised to see me answer the door. They came over to show my mom an ultrasound of their baby (they just announced they're expecting in April!). My dad was supposed to arrive home early in the evening from a business trip to France; however, due to unforeseen circumstances, he wasn't going to make it into Indy until midnight. The original plan was for him to rent a car and drive home; however, he was too tired so mom and I went to pick him up. He only knew mom was coming, so I got to surprise him at the airport :).

The next day, I went with my mom to Glendale Days (a little airport in town had a fundraising event-- my dad is a non-commercial pilot and he was in charge of helping planes take off and land via radio). My sister brought her little girls there to play in the bounce houses and to watch airplanes. They were all surprised when I showed up holding their lunch instead of mom :).

After Saturday, my trip became a blur. I got to visit with some friends (some I got to introduce to the glory of Glendale, while I met up with others for ice cream). The rest of my time was packed with soaking up niece time, family time, and helping out my mom with her latest project (to be blogged about at another time). I got to be "the bestest aunt ever" for letting Gabs and Als spend the night (Em had school :(, next time!). The time went by all too quick. I had to leave on Wednesday and nearly cried most of the time. Poor Steve, he expected a jovial wife to return, and instead got a tired emotional wife who wanted more time with her family. You can never have too much of a good thing!