After two weeks he's finally here. AND?! He's brought laundry.

This whole week has been a hellacious one.  Seriously.  But seeing as my company is generous with holidays (we get the Friday AND the Monday off for Labor Day) I seized the opportunity to throw in a vacation day on Thursday.  What the hell?  After this past week, if anyone deserved a five day weekend it was ME.  Besides, I've just realized that it's almost September and I still have a kazillion vacation days left to take.

As I was trying to relax on the back porch yesterday and erase all memories of the prior three days from my brain, hubby then hits me with the his new found knowledge (which included a "prop") that you can use a tampon to start a fire.  Yes, really.  I would have had photographic evidence, but he threw it away before I got around to it.  Why he felt this information was important for me to have, I'll never know.  As I was shaking my head and determining that I NEED to put a filter on the internet to keep him from finding this kind of stuff, his phone rang.

It was the beloved Man-Child (notice how he is now "beloved" and not "that darn kid" - funny how them being away from you will do that).  He talked to his dad for a bit and then asked for me.

As soon as I got on the phone, he asked if I would come get him today and bring him home.  Would I?  Is he crazy?  Of COURSE I would bring him home.

Needless to say, I went to bed with a smile on my face.

I was up and at 'em early this morning.  Which was ridiculous, considering his last class wasn't over until three....but still.  I was going to get my boy!

By 11:00 am, I just couldn't wait any longer.  I told Hubby I was going and he informed me that it was too early.  So I said I'd stop by the library first and maybe make a few more stops before heading out.  And I did.  I hit the library and was in and out of there in fifteen minutes (a record for me).  As I was leaving, I decided to stop in the next big town over and browse in a store that I like.....there was nothing of interest to me.

So basically I was on the road, for real, around noon.  Except, I got lost again in my own neck of the woods.  At this point, I am really surprised that Hubby lets me leave the house on my own....

The problem was this - out of pure habit - when I left the store, I hopped on I-40 East.  That wasn't the big problem.  The big problem was when I realized what I had done, I hopped off at the next, very convoluted exit; the exit that I KNOW is convoluted from prior experience.  I then found myself wandering around for the next fifteen or twenty minutes trying to get back to the highway headed west bound.

As much as I love the shopping there, I hate that town.  Every single time I venture out that way and I just happen to wander off my known routes, I get lost.  EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!  It never fails.

And yes, I DO have a GPS system.  I just hate using it.  That annoying voice saying "recalculating" over and over and over again gets on my nerves.

Eventually, I found myself heading in the right direction and all was well.  As it was a gorgeous, if a bit hot, day I rolled down all the windows and popped in an upbeat CD and turned it up.  And drove west for two hours.

As I rolled into town, I turned the music down, rolled the windows up and finger-combed my hair.....you know, to look like a respectable mother coming to pick up her son.  As I was working the knots out of my hair, MC called to see where I was.  He was surprised to find me already in town.  He told me I was early, that he was headed to class and that he would call me in an hour and we would meet up then.

All was well with my little world.  I grabbed a fast food lunch - which wasn't so fast and couldn't actually claim to be real food and did a little snooping about town.

Let me tell you....thank goodness Hubby didn't come along for this adventure because the traffic in this one horse town is insane.  Truly, it was worse than drop off day; and that was pretty bad.

Eventually, I got "the" call.  I headed over to his dorm to pick him up.  Upon arrival, I called to tell him I was there.  I got out of the car with my cell phone ready for the first picture and waited.  And waited.

Eventually, I noticed this person headed toward me with a laundry basket while grinning manically.  I wondered if I should be concerned.

Who IS this bearded, grinning stranger?!  And why is he bringing me laundry?!

Eventually, it dawned on me....this was my baby!

I cried a little.

On the ride home we talked and laughed and it was amazing; especially considering that of late, most car trips include him reading a book and zoning me out or him napping.

Once we arrived, he couldn't stop smiling or repeating that he was SO glad to be home.

Despite how happy he is to be home, he has informed me that he IS going back. Darn it.

I showed him his newly cleaned room.....

Ever the wise-guy....he gets that from his father, of course.

He was EXTREMELY happy to see his own bed again....

As for me?  Well, I'm just glad to have my "little" guy back again for a few days.