Back Home

 Integrating back into family life after international travel is like jumping back onto a merry-go-round (that you never should have gotten off of in the first place), and trying to steady yourself as it continues its endless loops.

We arrived home in the middle of the night, exhausted from having been up for 24 hours. (There's no way around it - that trans-Atlantic haul is a doozy!) I was in desperate need of a hot shower and my own bed. But after just a few hours of deep sleep, it was morning and time to hit the ground running again.

We are winding down with school for the year. Elsa completed her 5th grade Language Arts course...

She can write a research paper, recite poetry, and diagram sentences like a pro.

A diligent year always pays off!

Another highlight from this month has been Soren's 13th birthday.

(Photo by big brother Roman)

I am now the mother of three teenagers! I made him his favorite breakfast: Scrambled eggs with peppers and mushrooms, alongside homemade cinnamon rolls.

It feels great to be back in the rhythm again. Paris was a beautiful adventure, but there's no place like home.

I was able to bring a little French flair back home with me.

The shops there sell authentic Made in France pillow covers that had me swooning!

In Versailles, the gift shop had a small selection of Marie Antoinette inspired pieces. I chose this embroidered pillow cover for my bed...

(Notice the M for Marie! 🌸)

Her style was famously lavish, and she loved florals. This was her bedroom in her smaller, more private chateau...

I could move right in, couldn't you?! 

😉

I also purchased, in another shop, these whimsical pillow covers for my couch...

I am just tickled over them!

To justify the purchase to Micah I tried pointing out how hard it is to find genuine decor in America. 

The pillows here are printed transfers, I explained. So you understand my urgency in buying these while I have the opportunity, right?

One could not argue with such clear logic.

It still feels like we were just there, navigating the metro... taking in the sights... (with a cafe creme in hand), but I couldn't shake the thought that, as fun as it is to visit, I wouldn't want to live there.

'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down

Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,

To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings -

But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!

My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air,

And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;

And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;

But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.

"America for Me," by Henry Van Dyke

It's good to be home.

💐

~ Courtney