Travelblogging

The calendar says we've been away from Norfolk 12 days, but it feels like forever. We drove off the afternoon of the 29th, later in the afternoon than I'd hoped because Ruth was busy at work. The late start actually ended up being a good thing, because it kept me from wanting to make the drive to Chicago all in one day, like I normally do. The second day was still a long one after stopping in Hagerstown, MD, but spending the night in a crib rather than the back seat of a Volkswagen meant Theo was in a much better mood all week.

I tend to be a hermit when we spend time with relatives, but this trip we've been far more social -- positive influence from my wife and son and it also helps that my sister was with us much of the time. We spent New Year's Eve with Kevin & Denice, their son Michael, and our friend James, who was in town from Atlanta to see the Winter Classic (The Bastard!).

New Year's Day we hung out with Ruth's cousins and their family. Theo had all kinds of fun with his cousin Natalie -- too much fun, it turned out. He refused to nap all afternoon, leading to an overtired boy who woke us every so often all night long.

The other highlight of our time in Chicago was a visit to the Shedd Aquarium with Kevin, Denice and Michael. Theo and Michael ran each other ragged, I think Theo was just as happy to check out all the doors as he was to look at all the fish.

We've been almost a full week now at my parents' house. I haven't done much other than sample my Dad's homebrew and enjoy all the extra hands available to help with Theo. We spent a day with my Grandma over in Indiana, Ruth and I spent an evening out catching up with friends and the ladies spent a day shopping.

Theo seems to be learning a new word every day and some days it seems like a word every hour. Watching him interact with his grandparents has been the best part of this trip.

I'm not looking forward to the drive, but going back home again with no plans for another trip anytime soon sounds really nice right now. Between all the trips and Ruth being gone for two months, the house is still in chaos. We never really settled into our last house and I'd like this one to feel like home sometime before Ruth's next orders come through...

The other challenge will be getting my good routines back -- I was running and writing regularly before we left, but haven't done either on this trip.