Over the past ten days we have not stopped moving. We attended my grandfather's funeral in Kansas where Magnolia and I had some deep conversations about people we love and dying. (Well, she probably didn't think the talks were that intense but the topics were not normal 4 year- old talking points).
We also played in Maine and Boston, took Magnolia to her first day of school and first dance class (not sure which she is more excited about), and came home to pack for Florida (we leave tomorrow directly from preschool). I really would love it if the great sunny state of Florida was in fact sunny and we could relax on a beach for a couple of hours. No worries that it's heavy hurricane season now, we want the sun.
RIght now out of my right ear, Mags is singing a song about a girl who is friends with everyone and therefore saves the day and June is crying through the monitor. We're letting her cry to go to sleep because, well, she needs to start sleeping. Mags who recently went through a total teenage phase of arguing and being a little bratty, has turned a pleasant corner and even donated money to kids in need (she made some "rock people" and sold them and sent her 5 bucks off in an envelope-see above picture).
Sometimes I think my life is too busy, too crazy becasue of the lifestyle choices we have made in order to get by and play music for our jobs. But then, it's time like these that I realize, life just is crazy. If we weren't touring it would be just as chaotic as it is on the road, only it'd be filled with other catalysts for crazy-like perhaps jobs we didn't love or one of us would have to be at work all day every day while the other stayed home and felt like we needed an adult to talk to a couple times a day so we didn't lose our minds to toddler mentality. I guess this is a subject that I frequently think about and I usually come to a positive conclusion.
I'm mostly thinking of my Gramma right now who begins, after 62 years of living with her husband, a new life. I know it's hard. I know she keeps him alive as best as she can. At some points in her life, things probably seemed chaotic and I have a feeling there are times when she must miss that chaos. As cliche as it sounds, he was certainly her rock as she was his.
So, I guess what I'm saying in conclusion to this random deep thoughts-esque post: Viva this Chaos. (we might actually miss it some day)
And of course, we will miss you Grandpa. (I chose this picture because even a week before he died, he was making people laugh)