That’s my face, exhausted relief & space cased from driving for hours across Ohio. I stopped once for the bathroom, for a bite, to fill the tank on the rental. 45 miles outside of Dayton, I found myself in standstill traffic. I managed a steady 10 mph past two closed off lanes and the worst looking car crash I have ever seen. Horrible in a way that stayed with me–I kept the cd player on pause for a long time. I missed two of the usual exits due to the drop in mood and gain in distraction. Despite all, the family waited for me at the end. That’s me. A space case. An exhaustion. Pure relief.

My stomach is torn to pieces due to hibachi dinner(great time though our chef seemed a little depressed), so I’m waiting for my digestive system to right itself before calling it a night. Then it’s up early tomorrow to go to spinning class with dad and my sister. And then! We hit the ground running in preparation for the party(some of which was done today). I’m quite excited about this birthday party for my niece, who just turned two this week. We’re looking at 20+ people, plus my cousin Scott is in town. This will be the first time we’ve been together in 6 years, him and I. All of the cousins, for that matter.

Today…a very good day. Slept in, hung out in the sun, giggled over children’s books with my dad, watched a surprisingly hilarious movie with my brother-in-law, and spent a lot of time hanging with this little lady:

(she’s not upset–she’s just sayin’ cheese) We’re best friends.