Example of Jet Lag.

We had hired a shuttle to take us from our hotel in Beijing to the airport. Beijing is just so enormous that it was going to take maybe an hour or two on the freeway to get there, so we left extremely early to be on the safe side. To our delight, the freeways were free and clear and we were making excellent time. And then.... the shuttle quit on us. Just shivered and clunked and...coasted to a stop. Our driver didn't speak one single word of English. We didn't know if he had forgotten to fill up his gas tank, or if there was something else wrong. I'm pretty sure he was swearing like a sailor. Chinese swear words are really funny. It just sounded like a lot of "ShhhhhhUH! ShUH!! ChaichuhshUH!!"

I had a horrible moment where I thought to myself, "This is it for me. I'm going to be stuck in China for the rest of my life." Irrational thought? Yeah. But for reals. I was panic-stricken. Luckily, he called a different shuttle. They came to the freeway, loaded our luggage up, and whisked us away to the airport. Phew. We made it in plenty of time.

Ben and I went on a Caribbean cruise last week (I promise to write a post on it later), which entailed us flying across the country to Florida. After listening to a screaming toddler all the way there, and a different screaming toddler all the way back, I've gotta say that my kids did really well on our flight back to the states. Gage didn't want to sit still, so we had to do lots of walking up and down the aisles. There was no sleeping to be had for Ben or I on the plane, with four needy kids. But we made it. With no screaming.

My family came to pick us up at the airport, and when I went down that escalator and saw my dad standing there, I started crying. I was so relieved to be home. So. Relieved. He was soon joined by my mom and my sis, Nat. Mom was freaking out when she saw Dylan. She said he looked really, really skinny. I hadn't really noticed. Nat's daughter, Ivy, was so funny. When she feels awkward in a situation, she puts one hand on her hip. So she was all about the hip that morning.

Jet lag is an interesting thing. When I went to London for a semester in college, I was horribly jet lagged when we arrived. I slept for, like, three days straight. Princess Diana died, like, the day we arrived, and we all wanted to go watch the funeral procession, but I just could not get up and go. But when I returned to the states after four months, I didn't struggle at all.

I felt like, for all of us, when we got to China in July, we adjusted pretty well and pretty quickly to the time change. But coming home was a different story. Maybe it's traveling East that's harder? Who knows. I should write a paper on it. Or not.

We had to stay with my parents for about one week while my friend, Lindsey, was moving out of our house and into an apartment (she and her hubby rented it while we were gone). My parents kept waking me up in the morning and saying, "Do you want to go work out?" And I'd be like, "Umhphhhhhhhhsheooooooooooophhhhhhhh." I just couldn't get up.

Micah struggled the most. Well, maybe he and Ben tied for biggest jet lag struggle. It took both of them about a week to get into the swing of things. Ben flew immediately down to Vegas after we got into Idaho Falls to visit his dad, who had just had emergency surgery (he's doing much better now). And he basically spent his whole time down there sleeping. I think he slept for 20 hours straight one day. Silly guy.

So I was at my parents' house with my kids, and Micah and I were sharing a room. The kid would just NOT sleep. It was to the point where I was swearing at him and throwing pillows at him - "JUST GO TO SLEEP, YOU FREAK!!" Not my best mother moment.

One time, my folks offered to take me and the kids to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Oh, baby. I was excited. But then I fell asleep on the couch. When they gently jostled me and asked if I still wanted to go, I said, "Ohmspphhhhhhhhhhhhhewoooooooooooiphhhhhhh." So they went and brought some food back for us. It was tough.

Speaking of jet lag, my Main Man just left this morning to go back to China. Sighhhhhhhhh. I'm very, very sad. Most likely, he'll be there for one month, and then come back, and then have to return there at the beginning of April for five or six months. Woe is me. I'll miss him terribly, but I just couldn't rip the kids out of school and take them over there again. It was too hard on them. And on me, honestly. I was really struggling over there. So depressed. So this is how it has to be for now. I just keep telling myself that I'm so grateful that Ben has a job that pays the bills. That is a huge blessing.