home is a beautiful place to be

It's Sunday afternoon.  That means it's practically mandatory nap time.  I love nap time.  But I can't sleep.  It's because I am overwhelmed.  I laid there thinking about how nice people are.  

We left a big bunch of some of the nicest people ever.  Family.  Friends that we have known forever.  It was one of the hardest goodbyes ever.  Ever ever ever.

Ice cream cones and cheesecake after tin foil dinners with cousins on our last night.  

We survived the flight.  No complications beyond kids just being kids.  You know, normal stuff like a seven year old bringing a scout knife, or an almost two year old that uses screams for some of his vocabulary.  Stuff that cause little problems in an airport.

Sometimes saving some money might not be worth it.  They delayed the flight three times.  I said it felt like they were moving the finish line at the end of our marathon.  They herded us around like cattle.  On the plane, it felt like they might ask us to start flapping our arms at any minute. And our bags.  Karl had to talk to five different people to get all of our luggage.  It was in three different places.  I am grateful for patient friends that wait for us.

Did you know Kauai air is delicious?  It's warm, but not too warm.  Humid, but just enough.  

We got home to the nicest welcome ever.  Ever ever ever. 

Our lawn was mowed, our garage was full of our stuff that got shipped over, there were signs, and yellow balloons, treats and a game on the counter, chips in the pantry, the fridge was stocked full of homemade meals and staples (and cleaner than we left it for sure), two kinds of home made bread.  TWO kinds!  The beds were all made and stuff in it's place.  I did NOT leave my house like that.  We are so lucky.  So lucky.  So very very lucky.

So on the first night back when it would usually be Taco Bell or some other gross meal substitute, we had one of my favorite lasagnas, the best salad, homemade breadsticks, and fresh fruit.  

The way to my heart...

We are settling in nicely.  Maximus is settling in nicely.  It will be a long process.  

I went out to my lanai (porch) last night and watched for meteor showers.  I took a breath of the delicious air and I felt so lucky.  

Today we went to church and I can't even explain the feeling.  There was so much love and gratitude that Maximus could be back.  A man that we have looked up to the whole time we have lived here, a 50-something year guy who can out surf most, a guy who has a family with a heart of gold, stopped us and showed us his left palm.  Like a patchwork quilt like our little Maximus.  He fell into a fire as a baby, too.  As he showed us how he can open and close his hand and told us how his construction job requires his hands all the time, I felt so much relief.  His right hand was burned, too.  But not as bad.  Just like Maximus.  And he is a stellar guy.  Just like Maximus :).  

So good to be back.  So good to be a part of such a great "ohana."