I've got another 5 day weekend coming up ahead.  Since Patty is visiting, I've taken the next 3 days off so that Staci, Patty, Nicholas, Ian, and I have time to hang out.  It's been a blast to have her here again, and it's made me more aware of how weird it is to NOT have her around.  Here's a semi-coherent list of observations from her trip

• We went right into our normal banter and talk without missing a beat.  We like to pretend that we dont' liek each other and that we're really competitive about our child / spouse / job / life / whatever.
• Motherhood becomes her, although she's prone to worrying so its fun to tease/scare her.
• Sometimes Ian and Nicholas look a lot alike, other times theres almost no family resemblance.
• Short hair  makes her look really adult/mature.
• We have a lot of family, friends, "cousins" in the area.