Going Home

Ruby and I left our sunny Brooklyn brownstone on Saturday morning so Ruby could get home for girls camp.  Our wonderful airbnb host Gregory offered to drive us to the airport, which was a huge blessing.  It saved us an hour on the subway.  Gregory is a photographer (lots of portraits of famous actors) and his wife is an actress.  They're raising two kids in Brooklyn, so hats off to them for living the (very difficult) dream.  

We ran into Julie Jensen Medeiros, a childhood friend, at the airport and had a fun chat.  Julie was in my ballet class way back when, and you couldn't find a girl more enthusiastic about dance. Julie is one of those people that would be first on this list if you were having a party of going on a trip.  That enthusiasm she had at age 15 has not diminished.  It was great catching up.

And then...

We were home!  These pictures of Ruby and Coco say it all.  All the cliches about home are true, it really is where your heart is.  It's even sweeter coming home after you've had such a beautiful and life-altering experience.  I can't say enough about our friends, the Laviesierres, Genevieve and Hubert, and Juan and Sonia.  How can you thank friend who treat your children as family?  We are looking forward and hoping for the next time some or all of us meet.  You know you are all welcome here anytime!

Coco and Bill watched and prayed, followed every move of the girls' trip, begged for pictures along with Scott and me, and delighted in their experience from afar.  It was like our summer project to wait for news and pictures from whatever picturesque, historically significant or dreamy corner of the globe they came from.

On the other side of that door are some very excited children!

Ptolemy cried when he saw Golda.  I think he missed the girls the most.  He was always asking how many more days.  We all felt their long absence; 44 days, to be exact, but I could not have been happier about where they were or what they were learning and experiencing.  I definitely would not change a thing.  Golda and Ruby had experiences and met people who broadened their worldview and gave them a deeper understanding of God, His children and the magnificent world He has created for us.  Life is bigger than Davis County, and when you internalize that through experience, it can really give you perspective in your everyday dealings and challenges.  Plus, you can dream about the Alps or the Alhambra in math class.  :)

Ruby gave Tziporah a flamenco outfit and she refused to take it off.  She had gotten her finger slammed in a door at play practice the day before, so it was a rough last 24 hours.  Theflamenco dress made up for everything.  Except the play was coming up in a couple of hours and Tziporah flatly would not take off the dress and put on her costume.  Nope.  She had solid arguments, too.

She said, "I am NOT going to be in the Lion King!  I would CLASH with the play in my new dress!"

The she reconsidered giving up the limelight and said, "Tell Ellison I will be a ladybug and I will wear my new dress."  Good thinking with the polka dots.  She was supposed to be a bug, so that's not too much of a stretch.

Then, to seal the deal, she found the tag of the dress and held it up.  "See this gwill?  She is NOT taking off her dress for a PLAY!"  So Lion King gained one small, feisty flamenco ladybug.  But that's another story...