Pack, unpack, pack, unpack ....

I feel like adding repeat as needed to that title! Sigh ... the part I don't like about all these little weekend trip ... actually the packing isn't nearly as bad as the unpacking. Shawn is a saint for putting up with my taking sometimes literally weeks to unpack. These days he really can't argue that I'm just going to be packing the darn suitcase again soon (technically sometimes we need to switch to a different one though).

So a few briefs on where we've been and are going

• We spent much of this last weekend in Northfield -- mostly at Carleton for Shawn's 25th college reunion (Shawn or both of us are likely to post more on this ... wonderful event and yes I really did enjoy meeting everyone) but we also had some nice time with my sister Ellen and her family (THANK YOU for all of the babysitting!)
• Sunday we headed home just in time for Nessa to take a nap (no, she doesn't just sleep in the van ... in fact NO sleeping in the van this entire weekend! so we were thrilled with the van and the DVD player!) and for us to run some errands, start some clothes washing (OK, so I "unpacked" the dirty clothes bag), and to get reorganized for our next trip.
• Sunday evening we picked up Megan from her dad's and headed up to my parents home in Cumberland, WI so that Megan can join her cousins in summer school there for the week. We arrived there around 10 p.m. on Sunday (Yes, Shawn spent Father's Day mostly driving).
• Monday we lingered just long enough for Nessa to be sad that she wasn't joining the rest of the girls at summer school as when they went out the door her lip quivered and the tears rolled down ... so it was time to pack her up in the van, turn on the requested DVD (usually Veggie Tales or Signing Time but there was at least one Thomas and Blues Clues during the weekend) and head home.
• We stopped for lunch at Moe's Almost World Famous Diner in Osseo and then made it back home to La Crosse in time for -- you guessed it -- Nessa's nap. (On Sunday we stopped at John Hardy's Bar-B-Q in Rochester for lunch).
• While Nessa napped Shawn and I showered and tried to feel refreshed and ready to go out for Shawn's Birthday -- yes, not only did Shawn spend most of Father's Day driving the van but also a good portion of his Birthday! I still have a few late surprises and am trying to talk him into declaring Oct. 18th his unbirthday so he can have a day not right next to Father's Day. We did however go out for a movie and a nice dinner (Outback). When we got home we put Nessa to bed (her schedule was so off we told the sitter not to put her to bed) and pretty much dropped into bed ourselves.
• Before bed though Shawn checked on his early morning Tuesday flight to San Jose (see, more packing and unpacking) ... it was cancelled ... of course that just meant more headache for him scheduling flights not that he didn't have to go.
• Shawn left this afternoon for San Jose and is *scheduled* to return Friday night.
• Saturday morning we'll drive back up to Cumberland and hopefully spend a nice day on the lake with my family before driving back home. (Megan and I are going to a play at 3 so we won't be lingering in Cumberland on Sunday.)
• Then, believe it or not, it will be the end of the month. (Well, OK, after another work week.) And we'll again be packing up and this time we'll be heading up to northern MN to visit Shawn's parents. We plan on staying through the 4th of July and then heading home to enjoy a bit of Riverfest.
• Do not ask us when we plan to get the lawn mowed in the midst of all of this.
• And yes, we have been LOVING the van on all of these trips (while actually driving not while paying the Kwik Trip bill or thinking about the environment).

Now I need to go unpack ...