Btw? She's BACK!!!!

Our Rosie is finally home, sweet home! We picked her up last night at half o'clock in the morning.

Here she is getting off the bus.

Here she is bidding one of her fellow Australian-Americans a tearful goodbye.

Here she is being engulfed by some of the other young ambassadors in a farewell mosh pit that was more dangerous than all the surfing and rapelling and spelunking combined.

Here is a picture of a picture of her cuddling what appears to be a dead Koala. Dead of some exotic disease, no doubt.

Here is a picture of a picture of her rapelling down some....
OK, I can't do this anymore.































Anyway, she is fine and dandy and only has one scratch on her foot to show for all her risk-taking, danger-seeking adventures.

When we were driving home, I asked her a bazillion questions, give or take, before we settled into a comfortable silence. After a few minutes, as she gazed out the window, I heard her say,

"I miss them all."

My heart swelled, my eyes got all misty, and I thought to myself, 'I've raised this girl right. What a sweet and tender thing that she misses her brothers and sisters...'

"Can we go soon?"

"Go where, darlin'?"

"To the mall. I miss the mall."

Oh. I miss the mall, not I miss them all.
Strike the wistfulness and the tender heart.


Anyway, by the time we got home and got her suitcase in and she said hello to all her siblings who were waiting up, it was 2 in the morning before I was in bed, and much later than that (nearly 4, maybe?) till I fell asleep, all to get up at 6 to drive someone somewhere (you Moms know what I'm talking about). And I'm back from that, but have to leave soon to take a different kid to the dentist.

I don't need a cup of coffee, I need a coffee infusion system today.

That's OK. I've got my girl back safe and sound,

It's all good.