Johnston Ranch

Well, we have been home now almost 5 weeks. I have to stare at pictures of Hawaii to actually believe I ever went! It was truly a fabulous vacation for us. ( or at least for me, Alisa!) Neil was up and running at 5:30am. In my book, that is still the day before as the day truly doesn’t start until after 6:00am…right? I am pretty sure that is Biblical. It was great to have a lot of quiet time, walking time and doing nothing time. I loved the time I had with Neil and hanging out in our honeymoon spot. I never would have believed it would be 16 years and 6+ children later before we would come again! Ok, I am still laughing out loud. I was so rested in Hawaii I could actually watch someone yawn and not yawn myself. Then came the red-eye flight home. No sleep Wed. night and up until midnight Thurs. night…so much for being rested!

We arrived home to a banner from the girls saying “Welcome Home!” and the boy saying “Go back to Hawaii!”. I have left Isaac’s sign on the door. I have told him…”Don’t tempt me.” Well, we arrived home by 9:00am. By 10am I am upstairs searching through the suitcases for the presents and Xman goes running by yelling “I need new pants!”

I, of course, ask, “Why?”

He replies, “ cause they’re wet!”

“How’d they get wet?” I ask, thinking I knew the obvious answer…but no…

He replies, “someone spilled some water at the bottom of the stairs and I slipped in it!”

“Oh” I reply and I go investigate the spill. Well, I was 3 steps from the bottom when I could see (and smell) that the huge puddle now smeared across the floor was NOT water. So I very intelligently ask quite loudly, “WHO PUKED?!!” Ok. Yes, I quickly realized everyone bigger than Xman could have told me they did already so that really only left 2 possible choices…Kelly (the dog) or Elisabeth. So I loudly exclaim, “Did Kelly throw up? Where’s Elisabeth??!!” “Elisabeth!!! Where are you?"

I turn the corner into the living room and looked no further. I asked yet another stupid question, “Elisabeth, honey, did you throw up?” To which she sweetly replied, “No.”

I am now looking at her…dripping in vomit, sitting on the couch. “Oh yes you did, honey.” In the bath she goes . Floor cleaned. Carpet cleaned. Candles lit. Lunch time. She seems fine, wants to eat. That is when I learned she had a bad cough. You know, the kind that makes you gag. Yes, she coughed at the lunch table…splattered everything and everyone near her. More baths. All of this by 12pm noon. Did I mention I had had no sleep yet?

Janie, I discover, is running a fever and feeling horrible. Isaac is crying because the boys are gone. Xman is dropping all the emotion he has stored up for the week on me and I have a towel clipped around Elisabeth to throw on her face when she starts to cough.

Oh, Home Sweet Home.