All's quiet

My house is empty. Craig, his dad, and the girls departed this morning for an overnight in the north Georgia mountains. If memory serves, this is the first time I've had the house to myself for an overnight since before Julia was born, and at that time, I wasn't entirely alone, I was 8 months pregnant with Julia. It wasn't the restful period I anticipate this time to be; she kept me up all night, somersaulting in my pregnant belly.

So what does this alone time mean for me? Well, for one, I'll finish off a small grant I'm working on, and two, I'll finally wrap up our vacation chronicles. Nearly every morning this past week, as I drove Julia into school, I was transported to a stretch of road in the Tetons. There's something about the fall air in Georgia and the music playing on our car CD player that takes me west. We listened to a lot of LCD Soundsystem, Royksopp, Pomplamoose, and Ralph Covert during our trip, and those tunes will always take me back to summer.

But first, I'm going to enjoy another cup of coffee. I may even watch some morning television. I'll let the breakfast dishes marinate in the sink, and I won't start planning dinner. I don't have to feed anyone but myself. I don't have to clean up after anyone else either. I'm feeling more relaxed by the second.