I can't even explain why it's been so long in Not-So-Hum-Dingers

Wow.

I haven’t written an entry since December 16th! That’s just ridiculous.

We were down in Oz the last time I wrote. We had an amazingly awesome and relaxing time with Sezzie’s family, and Ashley was so much more interactive with her Aussie relatives. We ate well, I slept on the couch the whole time (but it was actually quite lovely), we spent a lot of good quality time with everybody that we wanted to on that side of the planet, and it was all just so perfectly rejuvenating.

We were there the perfect amount of time because I was ready to get back to working and eating more healthfully and just being back at our home in our space. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment down there, and I’m so grateful for Sezzie’s parents being so generous and getting us flown down there and letting us stay with them. I know I’m the luckiest guy on the planet to be the in-law to that family.

We came back some day in January (I don’t feel like checking my memory book, so forgive me for being hazy with the details). My dad and stepmother had stayed here for a little while during our travels (rather than pay for a hotel or some other accomdation), which is something I’m not even sure why I mentioned in these words.

The relief I saw in my co-workers faces upon my return to my station of dish-ass-kickery was quite gratifying. Gayle (Kerry’s mom, who has survived being on death’s door with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) would come in to work her couple of hours at the end of the day and the girls would leave without having washed a single dish so the bus pans would be full up and she’d have to try and do it all plus her normal tasks of detail-cleaning. Those six weeks of her having to pick up the slack of the younger girls took their toll and now she’s done working.

It was frustrating to hear about that situation, and it’s even lamer because the girls haven’t changed their ways since then. After getting the kitchen back into ship-shape (which only took me the usual two hours of my first day back) I’ve been the only employee that seems to take their job seriously. Most afternoons end with me and whoever’s at the helm (Barb, Russ, or Laurie, or some combination thereof) cleaning up after everything. It’s cool because I’m good at my job and I care about the service that I provide, I just feel annoyed on behalf of my superiors because they’ve got a bunch of petulant children working for them.

I know all I can do is the best job that I can.

Other than all of that, life has been pretty awesome. Ashley continues to be the coolest thing ever, and I love being her dad and Sezzie’s husband.

I’m glad to be home.