Away.

I just got back from a trip to California for a photography workshop and learned a few things non-photography related while I was gone. This was my first time leaving both my girls AND Mike. And I discovered:

**traveling without your husband no matter what the destination, sucks. Bad. I hope I never have to do it again.

**leaving your kids even for a few days isn't easy. And I didn't particularly enjoy it.

**Talking to your kids over the phone right before they go to bed and they are crying hysterically is not fun.

**Mya is sometimes really hard to understand in person. She's even harder to understand on the phone when she's excited and has a 5 minute story to tell you about running through the sprinklers at her cousins house.

**despite the fact that it is physically easier to travel without kids, it's not nearly as fun. And now I know I'd prefer to take them.

**I have a super, awesome, amazing husband who did such a good job playing Mr. Mom while I was gone that the girls didn't seem nearly excited enough to see me at the airport and when I asked Jaida if she missed me, her reply was "not very much."

A few new phrases that have been expressed after my return:
(both by Jaida)
"What the hell. . ." She's been saying it alot. About everything.
"Mess with me and I'll mess you up."

Anyway, I went to a photography workshop put on by some of the most amazing photographers in the world and my brain still hurts from information overload. It was an awesome experience, I learned a ton, and though I think I do a pretty good job appreciating my husband and kids, I now know with surety I don't want to travel places without them.