We're baaack...

...from a marathon six weeks in the US - visiting family, friends, attending two weddings (congrats again mom & Rick, Jess & Andrei). And it would feel good to stop living out of our suitcases, if only our suitcases were here.
That's right, we think they're in San Fran somewhere, but noone really knows. We even have baggage receipts for them, but thanks to our flight from Seattle getting into San Fran about 30 minutes before our flight to Sydney was due to depart, our bags weren't quite as lucky to make it on the plane as we were.
This was a trip of many good things - friends, meals, beach walks and margaritas in the sun and long talks with loved ones - but it was not a trip of good health or good flights. Fortunately Eliza was in pretty good shape health wise - with only two colds (one as we arrived and one as we flew out) - but on the morning of my mom's wedding in Chicago I discovered the strange bullseye-shaped welt around the place where I'd removed a tick a week ago was Lyme Disease! Luckily I got on antibiotics straightaway, but they didn't prevent me from feeling like I was 90-years-old and recovering from a car crash for a few days. Or what I imagine that would feel like, anyway.
Then while we were in Washington state (where we had a fabulous time hiring a VW Westfalia and camping in National Parks) I got a secondary infection on the bullseye itself, but that seems to have cleared up as well with the help of some topical antibiotic.
I'm not so proud to report that on this trip we missed two flights (our own faults) and nearly missed a third (the final flight home) -have airports gotten harder to navigate or is it just having a 13-month-old and waaay too much luggage? I've sworn to always be earlier for flights - it's better hanging out at the airport drinking bad coffee than missing a flight, to always check the airport I'm meant to fly out of before traveling 45 minutes (and a $50 cab ride) in the wrong direction, and to pack less stuff. Surely I can just do laundry more often.
But I've got to give props to the youngest member of our family for being a great little traveler and adjusting with very few glitches to all the different time changes, sleeping situations, strangers and cuisines (burritos, Cheerios, hot dogs, deep dish pizza). She was such a little trooper that she actually slept for nearly 10 hours on the flight home. Long enough for mom & dad to sleep AND I actually watched a movie. Definitely, Maybe. It wasn't bad - but not terribly memorable either. Now it's time for me to unpack the um, carry-ons, and wade through six weeks of mail and mayhem.
Promising to post pics soon...