Weepy

I always get a little weepy when Alison goes back to school. I don't know how I'm going to be when that school or job is several states - or an ocean - away.

It's not that I don't want her to go. I want her to have an awesome, travel-filled, productive and happy life. I just want to be part of it. I should be happy that she wants to come home and spend time with us - and I am. But every time she leaves, she's that much closer to a life that doesn't really need me in it.

Poor me. 

I say that knowing full well I'm not poor at all. She is a healthy, smart, lovely, kind, entertaining and happy person who still wants to spend time with us and who makes us laugh out loud on the regular. That makes us wealthy beyond measure, and I'm grateful.

Instead of trying to make a mad dash to some new locale for her short Fall Break, we stay-cationed (if that's still a thing) and treated ourselves to fabulous meals at places I highly recommend to you: Root and Bone in Broad Ripple, Capri just off Keystone, Juicy Seafood on 86th Street and had our final indulgence at the aptly named Pancake Palace on Westfield Boulevard this morning.

I started with the cinnamon roll pancakes and plan to work my way through the offerings that include apple & cinnamon, banana, strawberry, chocolate chip, pecan, blueberry, strawberry & banana, cherry, peach, classic buttermilk and (hoo-boy!) Oreo. (Attention Chris Austin: it's breakfast all day!) They have other stuff on the menu, but it's a Pancake. Palace. Why would you look at the other pages?

Speaking of indulging, if you ever eat crab with Alison, don't sit close. There is a splash zone. She is a mess.

Aside from letting others cook for us, we had a fabulous brunch at home, amazing steaks off the grill and Ali and I combined forces (OK, yes: she did the hard parts) to make a pumpkin roll when the grocery failed us and none for sale. Here's a fun fact: there's not much pumpkin in a pumpkin roll. 

We had so much leftover, we made Auntie Jen's chocolate chip-pumpkin cookies. So much for my diet. 

We saved two tiny kittens that were trapped inside a car engine and had survived the ride to our favorite nail salon. We heard them mewling as we got to BR Nails, but didn't see them anywhere and had decided we might be hearing things. 

Then, the woman who'd driven them there came out wondering out loud what she was going to do about the cat in her car.  I was ready to call the fire department, but others came along and one guy had a jack. 

Ali was able to get under the car and find the hole in the underpinning that we assumed was their entry point. She got fairly scratched up as a reward, but the kittens were so small they didn't draw blood, and Ali got her own set of new nails out of it. Two of the rescue team were getting their nails done, too, and ended up adopting the little babies. So a good resolution, and manicures seemed like a good reward.

We talked about doing something culturally significant, but the closest we came to that was making sure Ali would be home to vote between now and Election Day. The closest we came to exercise was walking to the nail salon.

Jeff and Ali might have walked 1,000 miles through Jungle Jim's in Ohio while I worked. It gave them a chance to play really loud music and indulge in their love of weird and fantastic food. Some of which came home with them and will be yummy.

We binged an anime show Ali loves, talked about seeing a movie but didn't find one better than Spy x Family, shopped a little bit and basked in having free time and no obligations. 

Ali checked in with three of her friends - two after dinner as they're all night owls.

The house is a little emptier and quieter, but it's all good as I do need to re-focus on work. Jeff and I got in a few games of pickleball this afternoon as we adjusted to our empty (again) nest. I even scored a few on the old guy, but let's be honest: he probably let me. 

Hope you're having a great fall, and if you're in the midst of a road trip with family and thinking that it's a lot of work for little payoff, revel in the fact that you're wrong and enjoy those monsters while you have them strapped down in the back seat. All too soon, they're going to be driving (badly and too fast) away to their grown up lives.

And now, I'm back to weepy.