It's always worth it

Last Thursday morning found Joel, Charlotte, and I on a six-hour road trip to Rochester, New York. Some of my college friends and I had planned a long-weekend mini reunion, to include eight adults, three one year olds, and a German Shepherd.

Charlotte was a champ in the car and was (of course!) totally beside herself with excitement upon meeting said German Shepherd. She didn't sleep well most nights, and there were lots of tears at nap time. She fed the dog directly from her high chair tray and crawled after the other kids, pushing a musical walking you all weekend long. 

On Sunday as we drove home, I realized all three of us were totally exhausted. The break in routine, the driving, the night wake ups, the adjustments to our "schedule"... All those things require a significant amount of physical, emotional, and mental energy.

But we were all smiling. Being with these friends gave me new life, new energy. Seeing my friends as parents and home owners and professionals can bring tears of joy to my eyes, if I think about it long enough. Watching Charlotte play with the boys (and the dog!) is a memory I will never forget. 

Our friendships and our get-togethers are different nowadays. We went to bed pretty early and woke up very early. More coffee was consumed than we ever drank in college. We interrupted our conversation to change a diaper or distract a toddler from jumping off the couch. But we made meals together, and sat around chatting, and ate dinner together, and explored the city, and played outside, and did the dishes, and chatted some more, and went out for dessert, and chatted a bit more. And then changed another dirty diaper. ;) 

So yeah, adventures with littles look quite different, and in many ways are more difficult (and more tiring!!). But reuniting with people we love is a good, life-giving adventure. And it's always worth it.