So I landed on time, after leaving late and took yet another bumpy bus to the rental car agency. Good thing they don't ask for proof of insurance or I would have been stuck with their $30/day BS. I remember getting behind the wheel of the Pontiac G6 and thinking, "Wow it's kind of fun to drive when you don't do it every day for 2 hours". It wore off before I hit the freeway.
My oldest, Tristan, was at a birthday party when I got to the house. My youngest, Tanner, was home and I was excited to see him. Everyday we chat, the first thing he asks me is (imagine a Chinese man with very broken English) "When you come home?" To which I answer, "I'll get to see you in (insert number of days here)
Once the Three Amigos were assembled we rode off in the sunset to the rec center. They played at the indoor jungle gym while I watched and took a few pictures. Eventually we relocated to the pool where the little guy drank a few gallons of chlorinated water.
Not intentionally, mostly due to clumsiness. I think the water screwed with his equilibrium and every time he stepped off the little water gym, he fell over. I'd pick him up within a millisecond of the water reaching his nose. While he was chugging pool water, the other one had found some new friends to swim with in the lazy river/whirlpool. We swam till we had geriatric hands.
Back at our hideout, we climbed into our PJ's and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. I have to admit, other than spending time with them, I wasn't very excited to watch it. However, it wasn't all that bad. Much better than the "Lots and Lots of Train" DVD I've seen half a billion times. I think our heads finally hit the pillow around 11:30.
Sunday was action packed. Hung out with Chuck E, took Tristan to a baseball competition, hung out at the park for a couple hours, and went bowling. Tanner bounced from game to game at Chuck E's while Tristan tried to win as many tickets as he could. I think his final tally was around 300. Tanner freaked out any time I threw a token in a ride and it started to jolt around.
Tristan came in first in every part of the baseball competition and will be moving on to the regional at the end of the month. He could eventually get invited to the MLB All-Star game if he keeps moving on.
The park and bowling were a little hectic. Tanner doesn't sit still, so most of the time I was chasing him.
But Tristan and I did get to hang out most of the time. All in all, it was a fun weekend. I loved seeing them and I can't wait to see them again next weekend.
The only problem, and I think that it's a little over dramatic of a word, is that I hope this weekend didn't set the tempo for the rest of our visits. Being the first time back, I wanted to make it special and keep them entertained. There's no way I'll be able to keep up that kind of a pace every weekend. Not because it was tiresome or overwhelming. Two reasons. First, I can't afford to drop $200 every other weekend when I'm already spending $300 to fly home, rent a car and get a hotel room. Secondly, it's not fair to Kim if I come in every two weeks and do all this fun stuff with the them. She does all the hard work caring for them everyday and rarely gets time to herself. I don't want them to think that I am more fun to spend time with. I'm trying to be conscious of what she's going through and not come in and dazzle with presents and fun trips.
The biggest reaction I got this weekend was from Lucy, our black lab. Our front door was open when I pulled into the driveway, she saw me get out of the car through the screen. Immediately, her tail shook. Scratch that. Her entire body began to weave back and forth. She looked like a shark trying to swim against an impossible current. I ended up entering the house through the garage and as soon as she heard the door open all I could hear were dog nails scraping the wood floor. I couldn't see her, but I imagined a cartoon where the character's feet speedily try to move forward but they don't move. Seconds later I see her tear around the corner coming straight at me. She put on the brakes about 4 feet before getting to me and power slid into the fridge before attacking me. Lucy lifted off her front paws trying to put them on my shoulders. She was able to establish paw-to-shoulder contact but forgot to stop wagging and had to settle all four feet on the ground before regrouping. I moved into the carpeted living room to give her some attention for the short time I was there. It was very cute and I guess I missed her a little more than I thought I would.
My next venture to Detroit is just over 10 days away. I'm looking forward to it and wish I could make it back more often. But at the same time, I feel much more at home in my new home. I wish there were a way I could have the boys closer. But really, they are closer than I was to my dad in Ohio when I lived in Michigan (not to mention when I lived in Florida and he was in Ohio). Plus the ability to video chat. The travel time is almost the same. 2 hour drive to Ohio...1 hour 15 minute flight. What I've become can best be described by Rick Nelson, "Oh, I'm a travelin' man, Yes, I'm a travelin' man." And so it goes
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