We reclaim the bachelor pad

I drove and I drove and I drove. And I drove. For hours upon hours. I began to think I might die if I drove for one more minute. Then I thought of "Going on a Bear Hunt": "Can't go over it, can't go under it. Oh no! We've gotta go through it." So I drove some more. And then, finally, we were back home. We were gone for 6 weeks.

My first thought when I walked in the house was, "I like this girl's style--why, that's just the paint color I would have chosen." Then I began to notice things, little signs that this place had had a vacation of its own, masquerading as bachelor pad and pit stop instead of domestic haven.

Exhibit A: The pretty pot of flowers on the front steps



















Exhibit B: The fridge



















Exhibit C: The mail



















Exhibit D: Certain areas of the lawn



















In his defense, Mark did a great job maximizing his dissertation time. He rarely came home from work before 10:00. So our trip was a success on all levels. The kids had a blast, Mark made great progress, and I feel I was able to do some good for my family in Dallas. Now if my parents can only shovel themselves out from the detritus we left behind!