So, Amy Maxwell is at my house right now. Like…in the next room…watching me blog about her. How cool is that? Like, THE Amy Maxwell.

So, I guess that means that we arrived home safely, huh? I could have started with that, I suppose.

Steph got here about eleven this morning, and we were on our way. The kids were good, Steph was mostly good, and we only had to make one potty stop. I made it all the way to the airport without totally freaking out about driving. I was such a big girl. I found a super close parking lot, managed to cross the street without having my daughter hit by a bus…not that that was something that nearly happened or anything…and made a trip to the bathroom all before Amy’s plane had landed. I totally knew where I was going and where the bathroom was and everything, because…just barely over a year ago…I sat in the same seats timing contractions the night before Owen was born. This time was much more pleasant. Anyway, I digress.

So, Amy arrived, Steph wouldn’t let me do the running across the airport in slow motion with outstretched arms thing, so I had to settle for a very respectable and dignified “nice to finally meet you in person” hug, and then we gathered all the children and left. There were a few well placed jokes and counter jokes over Steph’s belief that Amy may, in fact, be an axemurderer. We made it back to the van. I had trouble not talking ninety miles a minute, but managed to pay the parking and move along.

I had printed out directions from the airport to the McDonald’s where we were planning on meeting up with Sara, and semi-confidently turned left out of the airport. We went down the road about a mile or so, before deciding we went the wrong way and turning around. So, after a couple more turn-arounds, we discover that we were in fact going the right way the first time. Oy! Sara called and we assured her we would be there in just a minute…except for then we had to make an emergency bathroom stop for one of my kids. We did eventually make it, though, and it was very cool to meet Sara in person. She was very lovely, and it was great to meet her. She offered to hold Owen while I ordered our food, and I willingly gave him over. As I crossed paths with Amy at the counter, I said, “Yeah, I totally just gave my baby to a stranger.” Oh, well. All’s well that ends well, right?

So, after hanging out at the McDonald’s for a while, we took a few pictures before leaving. Well, Sara took them, since I had left my camera at home by accident. She is going to email them, and I will make sure to stick them right…here. In the meantime, just imagine a really great picture of me, Amy, and Sara. We all looked gorgeous, none of our hair was mis-behaving due to the humidity, no one looked tired, and everyone was wearing absolutely fabulous outfits.

So, then, after only one minor turn-around, we got back on I-40, and it was smooth sailing after that. We only had to make one more stop, at the Arbys in Crossville, because some of us had to go to the bathroom. Amy and I were hungry, so I was grabbing something to eat with Steph and Kyra while Amy waited in the van with the boys. I got two ginormous roast beef sandwiches and some really awesome orange cream milkshakes for everyone. I was so excited about these milkshakes, because I had one when we went to visit Chris a few weeks ago and they were really very good. So, we go back to the van, I open the door, smile real big like a kid who was fixing to give someone a really awesome homemade ashtray, and offer Amy her shake. As she somewhat reluctantly takes the shake, and asks, “What’s this?”, I suddenly remembered a small bit of information she had shared with me at some point in the past month. “You’re lactose intolerant, aren’t you?” She just smiled and nodded. Yeah. I don’t think we have to worry about any crazy, murderous schemes on her part. I may, in fact, be the one to worry about, since I seem to be trying to kill her. Death by Dairy.

We got home about…oh, I don’t remember what time, because I was crazy tired…but we got home. We did a few random things not much worth blogging about, but I can’t get over the fact that Amy Maxwell just flew across the country to see me and is in. my. house. Yeah. This is so cool. We are actually, right at this moment, simultaneously blogging. How cool is that? Let me just tell you. It is very cool. And it just keeps getting better.

In the morning, we’re heading to Fort Jackson. It is going to be a very happy birthday. A very happy birthday, indeed.