Spencer arrives

October 14th, a day we were all looking forward to. I still had so much to do, running around getting laundry done, cleaning up clutter, etc. Though it felt like time was slipping through my fingers, it wasn't moving fast enough. Spencer's flight was scheduled to land at 5:41pm. So, at 4:45pm, we couldn't wait any longer and I started kids on their own quests to find shoes and coats. At five to five, I'm locking the door behind me, with kids already running ahead and seated in the car. Then my phone rings. I answer it and it's Spencer calling from a pay phone. His flight from Cincinnati was late and he missed the flight. The next flight won't be arriving in Idaho Falls until 9:20pm. Great. Everyone is already buckled in and I think I'll have a mutiny on my hands if I tell them we have to go back inside the house for another 3 hours.

So, we pick up a couple of Hot 'n' Ready pizzas from Little Ceasers (bless them) and head over to Grandma & Grandpa Penrod's to while away the time. The kids expend enough nervous energy and then, by 7:30pm (usual bedtime) they are impatient for Daddy to come, but are fighting the urges to sleep. Grandma, the kids & I head off to Idaho Falls early with the pretext of picking up a couple of things at WalMart. After wandering the aisles and picking up some essentials (chocolate covered doughnuts and fire-starter blocks), we head over to the airport. We still end up waiting for a half hour or so, but the kids keep busy running races between the ATV on display from the local sporting goods store and the now-closed security line. Not much happens after 9pm at Fanning Field.

**Side Note**
Grandma Dana called me up mid-morning and asked if i was going to make signs for the kids or have balloons. I had been planning on doing it, but since she already had all the supplies, have at it, Grandma! When we got to the airport, we passed out signs. She had also made Jacqui's sign size appropriate, so her's was a little smaller than the other's. Well, Jacqui couldn't have made more of a stink about the whole deal. You know what the problem was? In her words, "I don't want a square sign, I want a rectangle sign like them!!" It's true, her sign was a square and everyone else's was a rectangle. I pacified her with chocolate covered doughnuts.

About 9:25pm, people start pouring out of the escalator. There is a glass partition separating us from them, so we can see them coming, but have to wait for the doors to swing open. And of course he had to be the next to last person off the plane. But we don't mind. We have our husband and Daddy back. The kids didn't get to bed until 10:30pm, but so what, the next day was the end of the week for us. A 3 day weekend was awaiting. And this was a special 3 day weekend. At the end of August, I booked a cabin in Island Park for 3 nights. Just us, the solitude of the mountains and a couple of amenities. A rockin' cool fire pit, meandering stream that went through the property, an outdoor hot tub, satellite for 2 t.v.'s and an internet connection. Life would be good.