Welcome Home, Hubby!

John just returned home from a four day business trip, and boy, was I glad to see him walk through our door.

Of course, mainly because I kind of like the guy and miss having him around.

But also because my daily routine is so different when he's gone. As in no routine at all. Case in point: my dinner last night consisted of a box of Katharine Beecher's butter mints and an apple.

I'm thinking the apple canceled out all that sugar. And check out the box - it says low fat. Mmmmm....healthy.

This does not mean that John and I eat less bizarre foods when he's home. It means that I don't like eating strange meals by myself. It seems so lonely to put one coffee cup in the dishwasher. And one plate. It was really hard for me to adjust when all the kids moved out, and this just feels the same way. Odd.

I don't sleep well when John isn't home, either, which is weird because usually I'm the queen of sleep. I can drop off to sleep within minutes, if given the right reading material. Without him, well, our bed seems just lopsided. Like it's missing something major, which it is. I've tried letting all three dogs sleep with me but they're more trouble than comfort. Sam behaves pretty well. He just flops down at the foot of the bed and that's where he stays for the rest of the night. The schnauzers begin by playing their bitey-face game, where they playfully gnaw on each other for awhile. Then they both need to scratch and dig and rumple the comforter into an acceptable doggie nest, each in their own corner. Once I'm sure they've settled down for the night, they decide to switch places. And begin the whole scratch and dig and rumple thing all over again. After a few hours, Sammy and I look at each other, sigh, and I throw those two into their kennels. Then they howl because Sammy gets to stay on the bed, so I have to toss him out too.

Thank goodness for cell phones, so at least I can pass on those interesting questions from the kids that their dad always answers - like the ones that deal with investing in their 401K accounts. I'm still in shock that my kids are old enough to have a 401K account, much less answer any questions about them coherently. We always talk as he's ordering something or eating something yummy from some restaurant menu, which he says gets really old really fast and he'd rather have soup out of a can after a couple days. And I don't believe him and tell him so.

But at last he's home and I'm happy. I guess it's a good thing for him to take a few business trips now and then. Those absences remind me how lucky I am to have him around, and that I really should be more appreciative of him.

And I am. For about three days.