Day 22. 10 small moments

1. Waffles with maple syrup and strawberries was served for breakfast, but he walks straight to the pantry to grab a box of mac n cheese in silent protest... This kid... He makes me visualize how he'd live with extended family in the Philippines before the clock hits 7AM.

2. It's a busy morning and I tell him that it's a "fire-hose-to-the-mouth" kind of Monday.

3. Allergies. A spectacular hedge of spirea lines our driveway and says good-bye to me as I pull out. I love them. I hate them. It's more complicated than most of my relationships.

4. During the meeting he writes on post-it-notes and sticks them on his laptop to remember. Analog and Digital. I fall in love with him all over again.

5. She greets me at the door with a huge smile and food still all over her face. She's so gorgeous.

6. We stop by the cafe and I watch her watch others. Most of my time spent with her is just watching her facial expressions. It is a simple way to see if she is more him or more me. The jury is still out.

7. I pick them up and the drive home is spent discussing tomorrow's school picnic and where we'll all meet and sit. They debate and negotiate and then ultimately decide the location. It is during these moments that I realize how much they plan our lives. All of a sudden I am 83, and they are meeting to discuss where I should live.

8. Game Theory. One of my mantras in life is ABC: Always Be Crazier. The key, I think, is to use this sparingly, but when pushed I do not hesitate.

9. They're packed up and they leave tomorrow for a couple of weeks. Part of me is sad and romantic about the whole thing. The other part of me is happy to get back to a more stable routine... for two weeks.

10. Cacophony. They laugh and scream so loud, and they talk and talk and talk and talk over each other while they "battle draw" with two sheets of paper and 3 markers.