Heading out

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. For a variety of reasons, it's felt like a stressful week or two. I'm in desperate need of a massage but keep putting it off in order to save my pennies for Edie and my upcoming trip to California.

In the meantime, it's off to Charleston again for work. I'll be gone 5 days this time, not returning until Friday evening; hopefully in time to tuck Edie in for bed. Edie will be staying with my parents for 2 nights and then coming home to be with Jeff until I return. I'll miss her enormously, but at the same time, I'm a strong believer in absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder with regard to 3 year olds. I doubt I would preach this mantra if I had to travel more than the 3-4 (usually short) business trips per year I make now, but one trip per quarter is usually just enough to erase the more frazzling parts of parenthood and fill your arms with a strong need to squeeze the guts out of your moon-face toddler.

I took time this afternoon to spend quality time just the two of us and we walked up the street to our neighborhood coffee shop that also makes fabulous crepes. We shared a ham and cheese crepe and a giant apple crepe, served warm and covered in cinnamon and whipped cream. We stayed for an hour after we'd finished eating, reading books together and talking. It was raining when we left and she wanted to run the 3 blocks home. I'm normally way too lazy to run with her and let her run ahead, catching up at the street corner where she waits to hold my hand before crossing. But I indulged her this time, knowing I might regret saying no tomorrow when on the plane alone. So, holding her hand and running as fast as my crepe filled gut allowed, I was rewarded with the happiest, most manic giggling from Edie as she looked up at me and ran. I had one of those rare moments of clarity when I was actually living in the moment and took a mental picture of the pure joy on her face so that I could sneak peaks of it while in Charleston this week.