My missing limb~

2 weeks = 14 days = 336 hours = 20,160 minutes = 1,209, 600 seconds.

Could 2 weeks feel any longer than it did while I was traveling for work through Seoul, Hong Kong, Hanoi and southern Taiwan? By myself? Without my husband? Without my daughter?

Sabrina's picture is the desktop image on my laptop and every morning of every meeting I attended, no matter what mood I was in good or bad, when my laptop loaded up and her little face popped up with that shit eating grin of hers and her Mariner's cap on sideways I just smiled like the Cheshire cat.

How is it possible to constantly have 2 people on your mind 24 hours a day? Could it be because she is quite possibly the coolest kid I have ever given birth to? (See how I complimented her without insulting all the other children of the world? Smooth.)

Could it be because I have the most A.W.E.S.O.M.E. husband who also happens to be a kick ass dad? Seriously. He just doesn't stop. Sabrina's face lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she sees him.

When their flight arrived at 5:00 am on a saturday in Taoyuan, Taiwan I was sitting and waiting behind a wall that keeps people from being able to crowd the exit doors. There is a large screen television that gives you a nice wide view of the people who will be exiting through these doors to help you find your friends and family easily. I was pretty tired but pretty excited. The night before I went to sleep fairly early. My aunt asked why I was going to bed so soon and I said,

"The sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I wake up and it's time to go to the airport to pick up my family."

Who can argue with that logic?

I saw them on the tv and I ran to the wall and started waving to get their attention. Dave saw me, smiled and waved back. And then I started running to get to the end of the long wall that separated us. I couldn't believe how emotional I was feeling. And that wall just did not seem to want to end. I've been through a lot of airports throughout the world and I'm pretty sure that this wall is the longest of them all. It felt like it was getting longer and longer. Is this a trick?!?!?

I finally reached them and Dave gave me a big hug and kiss and Sabrina was smiling at me from her car seat. I gave her a big kiss and pulled her out of the car seat and hugged her like crazy. And the tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Don't ask me why. It's not like I didn't know I was going to see them in 2 weeks...but being away from them feels like I'm missing a limb. I hadn't slept well at all and just felt disconnected in a lot of ways.

I don't think I can do that again. Not for 2 weeks. Way too long. And poor Dave - taking care of an infant by himself day and night. But did he complain even a little? Not once. He even took the time to send me some early morning, straight out of bed pics of the two of them.

Awwww. Aren't they so cute?

And just a quick *shout out* to our friend Liz Diesner!!!!!!! Who, during the 1st 2 weeks I was gone picked up Sabrina every Tuesday from day care and watched her until 11pm while Dave was in class, then for the following 2 weeks fed and watered our cat, painted the back deck, worked on the yard and watered our plants. You rock, gurrrl!