5 year plan...

5 years ago my life got busy. Charlotte was almost a year old, and I was settling into life with 2 small children. In early May, we spent several days basically homebound while we worked on potty training with almost 3 year old Mason. Soon after that, we decided to move back to Atlanta from our home in Denver. Now, as we approach birthdays 4 and 6 for the girls, we are almost 5 years into that move.

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" was once a standard interview question. Now, it's probably a question that the job candidate asks the potential employer. We are living in a state of constant change. When we bought this house, I had a 5 year plan in mind - it involved some very drastic renovations. My plan did not involve putting the house on the market for 2 weeks and then changing our minds about a cross-country move. I still have a plan for renovations, but they are on a smaller scale. After living here for almost 5 years, I realize that we have alot of what we need without moving walls around.

5 years ago, I was too busy chasing toddlers and changing diapers to realize that in 5 years my kids would be done with preschool. I could not have imagined that I would blink and all of a sudden we would be done with diapers, sippy cups, and episodes of Barney. I guess it's almost time to plan for the next 5 years, at the end of which my babies will be "tweens" whatever that means. I'll probably still have renovation ideas that only exist in my head at that point.

I haven't come up with my plan for the next 5 years. I know that my husband is hoping there will be fewer trips to Starbucks during that time, but I have a feeling I'll need some good lattes. As I gear up for another birthday party weekend (the girls' parties are a week away) and the end of another school year, I'll make the switch to iced lattes for the summer and I'll try to soak it all in because if I blink another 5 years will have passed and I don't want to miss a thing.

A wedding latte: Part 1, the road trip

A wedding is a wonderful thing. My baby brother got married last weekend, and it was a truly fantastic event that took place in Houston, TX, 800 miles from here. We drove there. 4 adults, 3 children, 2 laptop DVD players, and 1 top carrier on the rented Tahoe.

My husband loves a good road trip. I tolerate it. My kids don't know the difference, although Mason did notice that everyone else did seem to get there much quicker by flying. I will admit that the Tahoe made it a much easier trip so did having my in-laws along for the ride. Geographically, Louisiana is an interesting state to drive through so the scenery on the way was new and different. As soon as we arrived at our destination, after 14 hours and only 2 stops on Thursday evening, I realized that Sunday morning was going to come way too soon. The drive home was not so smooth. 15 hours and too many stops to count. I think that Mason logged upwards of 10 hours on Super Mario that day, and we wore out the car charger for the laptops.

The mood is always less festive when returning home from a trip. The flower girls and ring bearer lasted until almost 11 at the wedding reception on Saturday night after being ready for pictures by 4 in the afternoon. Everyone was tired, cranky, and impatient. When I say everyone, I really mean me and Mason. But we made it. A stop at a Target with a Starbucks helped a little. I got a soy mocha, the kids picked a toy from the $1 section. At each of the many stops the kids and I all did 10 jumping jacks before getting back into the car.

My latte is this, sometimes happier memories come from thinking of the destination - a great family and fun filled weekend - and not the journey.