The Night Before

Here I sit, catching up and passing time while I catch the final episode of ER. I have to rise early tomorrow for a mini-vacation with my mom and my two kids. We are going down to my hometown for three days. I moved away from the Detroit suburban area four years ago this month, and I have only been back a couple of times, the last time being when I attended the funeral of my ex-husband in 2005.

Anyhow, the vacation will involve a little trip down memory lane, as we plan to drive by some of the old haunts. We are also planning a visit, per my son's request, to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, and a trip to the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, for my daughter, who wants to see the polar bears and the penguins. And as for me, well, I want to visit the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens. My mom wants to do some shopping, so I am sure we'll be making stops at a few thrift shops and nurseries along the way. I can't wait. The funny thing is, I have been to all of the places listed many times. When we lived down there, I would make a point to go at least once a year to both the zoo and the museum, and the gardens, well, I went to them at least once every couple of months, it is just such a wonderful place to visit, even if you are not a big plant fanatic.

I am feeling a little nervous though, funny as it sounds, I have grown to love the country life and the thought of dealing with all the traffic and rush rush kind of scares me. Not to mention, the NCAA Final Four will be going on in Detroit this weekend, so the traffic is going to be a little higher volume than usual.

I'm sure I will be fine though, that is as long as my kids can keep from fighting for more than an hour at a time....