And We're Back!

Right now there is a pile of clothes sitting outside my door.  But every other sign of our 4:30 AM arrival back in Dushanbe is neatly put away (thank you, Brandon and the children).  I almost feel like I haven't been run over by a truck lately, and the children even got bathed today.  I'm toying with the idea of exercising tomorrow, but I'm making no promises until I get that magical first full night of sleep.
It looks like it's almost time for life to resume.
We had a fun, lazy summer with lots of pool time, minimal dinners (hummus and vegetables: not just for appetizers any more), and not much school.  Everyone enjoyed having some time off from the daily grind.
We wrapped up summer with a three-week trip to the U.S. (perhaps more on that later) where the I got to spend time with my entire family for the first time in seven years.  The children met second-cousins they didn't know they had and I caught up with cousins and cousins and cousins.  Edwin got to see dinosaur skeletons, the girls went canoeing with their grandfather, and I got Krispy Kremes.
We also visited Brandon's parents in Missouri where Eleanor was introduced to the most entertaining pastime of feeding cows corn shucks (sadly, no pictures), we went to the movies, and almost everyone got their eyes checked.
And then we made the endless trek back to Dushanbe.  I always wonder how I'll be able to leave the land of my nativity and rare delights like parking lots and municipal pools to go back to the daily schedule and isolation.  But by the end of three days of traveling, I'm just happy to be anywhere that isn't an airplane.
Summer's over, time for real life to resume.  Wish me luck!