What was it like to come back home after a long vacation?

Me, making unforgettable memories on the Disneyland trip.

First off, you’ve gotta understand that I haven’t really ever gotten back from a long vacation that I can remember. I know that we went to Disneyland just before I turned 3. I don’t remember that.

The Disneyland trip seemed to be my parents’ last huzzah. Before it, the family allegedly took other trips – to Florida, to Colorado…but I think I only got to go on the Disney trip. I don’t remember one single thing.

We went to visit my grandparents in Stilwell a couple of times a year. Coming back from those was always nice, I guess. I liked to come home and pet my cat and check the mail and read several pages worth of funnies in the newspaper. Mom was usually a dictator about having a clean house before we left, so it would be pretty clean at home.

The house always seemed silent and unlived in when we returned, and wood and things would creak in a funny way for a time or two until everything settled back down.

We still don’t take long vacations. The trip to Washington, D.C. that we’re planning in October is the first big trip we’ve ever taken. We’ve gone to Alva for a week, and we’ve been in Perryton for a couple of days, but this is the real deal. I’m looking forward to it.

Now I’m the dictator, and I demand the house be clean before we leave for any reason. I used to think it was the dumbest thing ever. Now I want nothing more than to come home and the house be clean. It’s so welcoming to come home that way…not terrifying, which is what I want to avoid. Plus it’s easier to go through all the bags and things that are dumped on the living room floor if there’s nothing already there competing for my attention.

And laundry. The worst part of any trip is the laundry upon returning.

One time I did my laundry at Jenny’s before we left. It was great!

Maybe things will be different after the big trip in October. Hopefully it will be the start of more vacations to come. We’ll see.

Worst. Entry. Eva.