Sweet smell of white ginger greeting me as we walked in the door at midnight.

Another adventure has closed, and with it I’m reminded of all the blessings we have experienced in this trip, and life in general. When I get home I find that I take things in a bit more slowly, I’m more aware of how beautiful my surroundings are, how precious time with the children is, and how happy I am to be home with my hubby. Look what he left out for me to come home to (above) – a note congratulating us on another adventure and letting us know he’d gotten fresh milk and yogurt for the boys and I to eat in the morning. As it turns out, our plane was chasing his in – he got home about 5 hours before we did! We rode home on a refueler – a KC10 – my favorite plane. The crew was so nice, the flight was warm, smooth and super fast – those planes take off like a rocket! I got the boys into bed without waking Dave up, then crawled in for a few more hours of sleep. The boys woke up at the usual time in the morning and here we are, back into our routine – unpacking, cleaning up, going for a jog, then a swim and romp in the sand and home for a nap and work. I am so thankful for the time with family, the memories of running the Mall in Washington DC, visiting museums with Sam and Ben, enjoying the wedding and watching the boys bond with their uncles and cousins, more time with family in the Adirondacks, and finally the miraculous blessing of a ride straight home to Hawaii right when I needed it. Space-a travel has its challenges, but I have come to appreciate the lessons I learn about faith and patience by putting myself in a position where learning to exercise both is a necessity.