C'est Fini!

And just like that, my time in Paris was coming to an end. If this summer meant anything at all, it was a message to enjoy my freedom and spending time with those I love. And I did a lot of that. Eating good things and wandering around. Taking nothing for granted. So Paris and I found a lot to agree on and I am so thankful that I made it there again. Not trying to be greedy, but travel always makes me want to do more, see more, take it all in. I hope there is a lot of that in my future. Nacho is loving his job and the travels he's been going on for a few years now at Delta. Sharing some of that with him this summer was really nice and it gave me a better sense of his life on the road. He'd already spent a little bit of time in Paris, but having me there to walk with and show him a few of my favorite things ended up meaning he left with a better sense of the city. I was happy to be that tour guide and explorer. Being somewhere new and unknown is such a thrill for me and being there without kids was such a wonderful chance of pace. I'm 42 this year and have been a mom for 9 of those years. So yeah, it's nice sometimes to be the person I was for 33 years. I remember her. I kinda liked her. 

And yet after 5 days of being on my own eating and drinking and walking everywhere in a cool, foreign city, I was ready to see their faces again. I can't think of an adage more true than absence making my heart grow fonder. I particularly missed their hugs and silly faces. Fights and constant requests a bit less. But I digress. I missed them. I really did. And by the looks of it--and the near unstoppable chatter upon my return--they missed me. A lot. As Carolina said, "Mom, don't every do that again." Well, okay. But really, they did just fine and they had so many stories to tell. They saw the Emoji Movie in Spanish with their cousins (thanks to my brother-in-law Jesus for taking one for the team--worst movie of his life!) and they swam and played and ate good things. They really tried to communicate and even Abuela was impressed with Carolina telling her in perfect Castilian that she wanted to save something from her dinner plate for the next day. Elisa told me that next time we leave them with relatives for our own grown up trip we should pick "Stacey or Barb or you know, someone who speaks English." But that was exactly the point. And she knows it. Elisa's fluency and ability to communicate in Spanish has been steadily improving and this summer I would say she made the most effort I've seen before and she really progressed because of it. Nacho has been very proud of her and happy to see the enthusiasm she has. Being there for nearly three whole weeks was also important. With family so far away, having that chunk of time to see them is crucial. I'd like to sneak in more trips around Europe with them as well, and in time I think we will. But for now, this was a great end of summer trip within a trip. And now we're glad to be heading home!