I didn’t realize that I had gotten used to a house with one child in the short span of a couple weeks. This past weekend, the college kids came home en masse, and chaos ensued. We had Trent and his girlfriend Abby, Taryn, Tessa and her roommate (also named Tessa – someone was having fun pairing those two together), and Tayden and his buddy Zach. That’s nine people in the house on a weekend I was hoping to get some unpacking done. I was also supposed to have a friend and her son stay, but they had to leave because another family member fell ill. It has only now occurred to me that maybe they made that up and ran away…nah!

So, they descended like locusts, ate all the food (but also went grocery shopping), used the machines (but replaced the detergent) , and brought a level of noise not experienced in a while. I did not know I could hear silence, but that’s what I hear now that they are gone. It was like having my own pack of friendly, mischievous elves all over the house.

I have no pictures, which makes me a little sad. There was bags, cards, a band on the beach, and sand volleyball. I was a bit part, moving in and out of the activity while trying to unpack more boxes and organize the garage. We still didn’t have a TV for viewing purposes. Tayden has a gaming TV set up, but most the crew adjusted to life without a TV. Travis actually just set up a TV with a DVD player last night. He had a movie going when I got home from coaching last night at 8:45. We watched for a little, but it didn’t feel right anymore, so we shut it off and went on the back deck to enjoy the lightening over the lake instead.

I was sad to send the crew on their way…yet somehow okay with going back to my new, quiet normal. Tayden is a quiet kid. His weekday time is consumed with musical rehearsals and schoolwork. I work and coach. Travis works and works. The dogs and cats wonder where everyone went. It’s weird that the house feels normal with or without the chaos. It’s like getting used to having a bathtub in your living room. The room feels oddly empty without it. But we all know that that’s the way the living room is supposed to be.