Survived the holiday...

We made it back from vacation, and in many ways I'm so glad to be "home." There's so much that I will miss about this place...the warmth of the people, the slow pace of the culture, the way everyone always has a, "Good morning, mistress," or a, "How are you today?" greeting as they pass on the street. There's a charm here and a politeness, and a small-town closeness that I will truly miss. But I have to discard sentimentality for mental health and remain focused. Traveling went as you might expect if you know Derek a little bit by now: he was stressed out, and even through the foggy haze of an illness found the fortitude to call me an idiot and moron on several occasions. He reiterated once that if I don't like the way he is I can leave. He complained about what I ordered to eat, and when I needed him to watch Ella on the plane so that I could use the bathroom. He complained if Dillon said a word, often cutting him off mid-sentence before he even knew what Dillon wanted. There was the requisite amount of pinching, jerking, shoving and intimidating until Dillon would cry, and the usual bouts of my interference to protect him, which always led to the "idiot" and "moron" and other names, and so we went around full circle like that until we eventually made it home. Still, there's lots to do, Derek is happy to be busy with work once again, and the kids are in school so I can focus a bit on what I need to do. There's a long weekend ahead of me, keeping Derek and Dillon separated as much as possible. Until next time, dear friend...