I'm back. Honest.

So, I'm back from vacation. And it was lovely. Really!

I always have such a complex mix of feelings when I go "home" to visit my family and when I leave again to come back here-home. I mean, I love my family, of course, so I can't help but confront the question of why I live so far from them, what I'm doing with my life, and all the crazy muck that dredges up.

And maybe because of that, there's usually a little bit of relief when I throw myself down on my own couch again, because I don't have to face these questions and feelings again for a while. Out of site, out of mind.

So it's a crazy carnitas platter of emotion, spiced with some salsa of regret, topped with the guacamole of love, a side of refried comfort, covered in melted relief and wrapped in a tortilla of guilt.

At any rate, upon arrival in snow-covered Denver, Mom picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to the mountains after a brief pause to repack and load the truck. Sunday on the slopes was crazy -- avalanche control had closed I-70 for much of Saturday, which meant everyone came up on Sunday to ski, and I had never seen such lines at the lifts.

But the weather cooperated, the crowds eased on Monday, and Caden tore up the slopes with us the 2nd day while Grant hung out in the village and lodge with the, uh... stepsisters. Which is the right term, but just feels so strange to use. Anyway, we all had a terrific time.

And the rest of the week went by too quickly, with some time at the zoo, Denver Art Museum, the planetarium and Imax, school auction setup, and all the miscellanious activities that fill up a family's busy routine. So unlike my own routine, which is hollow in comparison and doesn't seem to be filled up by any amount of metaphorical Mexican food.