"It's hard to get off the phone with people you love."

Chris is in San Francisco for two weeks, and the girls and I miss him. He left on labor day morning and by the afternoon, I found myself really sad. For a child of autonomy and independence, missing is a confusing feeling that reveals a tender underbelly I'd rather keep hidden, even from myself; I circle around the experience and sniff it out like a wary cat. Once I brave up, it feels good to admit how much Chris keeps me even. I can do it myself, but it sure is nice to have a partner in crime.

I've tried to infuse some of his steady approach to life into our day-to-day while he's gone, canceling most extra-curiculars and just keeping things slow and easy. This goes against my natural desire to check out all every cultural event in town and indulge in late nights at friends' houses, but the strategy has kept us relatively content and even-keeled, and gone a distance toward maintaining Chris' spirit in our little tribe.

Meanwhile, he's in San Francisco dealing with packing and cleaning and logistics with new tenants, a lot of the stuff I usually handle.

We're well-aware of the switcheroo, and laugh about how we're trying to conjure each other up.

"I miss papa so much. It's hard to get off the phone with people you love," explained Stella the other night. "So what we had to do was count to three, and then we both hung up."

Come home soon, Mr. V. You're top on our list.



Until then, we'll just keep on keeping' on. . .

Chillin' with Tia and some carrots from our garden.

Playing with hama beads.

Consoling ourselves with a frozen treat.

 

 

Observing fall shadows.

Hanging with a friend.

Fairy house #1

Fairy house #2