We Have Arrived

We pulled into the driveway around 10:30 this evening.  We're almost too tired to enjoy being home. 

Almost.

We love being home.   Do you know the story The Best Nest? 
"I love my house!  I love my nest!  In all the world my nest is best! 

Things I am happy to find when I come home from a trip:

--The tree hasn't fallen on the roof
--The house hasn't burned down
--The house doesn't smell bad
--The house is relatively clean
--Okay, at the least it didn't get any messier while we were gone
--There is still milk in the fridge that hasn't expired so my little people can have breakfast in the morning.
--Children are so happy to be home they quickly put themselves to bed
--There are no water leaks anywhere in the house
--I actually look forward to cleaning and organizing my home the next day.
--There is only one newspaper waiting on the sidewalk instead of a pile of ten
--Thanks to cell phones being our only phones, we don't have 20 messages waiting for us on our home phone to respond to
--The grass didn't die while we were gone
--No one left a toilet unflushed
--Never mind... that last one did happen.
--None of our pets are dead
--The fridge and freezer are still functioning
--The house hasn't been burglarized-- but seriously, what would they take?  I think we took anything of value with us.  Is it sad that anything of value fits in our minivan along with 8 of us?
--No ant infestations
--No strange person temporarily moved into our house while we were gone-- no one has been sleeping in our beds or eating our porridge

Does this list suggest I have anxiety about leaving my home?  Well, maybe I do.  We had a marvelous trip and I am exceedingly happy to be home.  I'm off to snuggle into my exceedingly comfortable bed.  Grandma's and Grandpa's house is a close second, but there is no place like home.