Here’s what I know.  I have been packing up and heading to see family with children for 18 and a half years but am only in the kind of packing up we are doing with one away in college a “sliver” and I get it.  I think it may have just gotten “routine.”  Of course, it has gotten easier over the years to tell them to, “Go Pack, we are headed home.” (home of course being where Keith and my families are)  And when we get somewhere and they have no shoes…but 2 giant stuffed animals…it’s Keith’s fault!  He is such a sucker for… if it fits in the car let em bring it! So, this Thanksgiving we are traveling “home” and Tiffany is meeting us there.  She will actually probably even beat us there!  She will go Waco to Tyler to meet up with her cousin Justin then to Louisiana.  I tried last week in a bit of “mind panic” to figure out just how to go pick her up even though it would not be on the way because how weird it is to even think about heading into the holiday without everyone in the car!  But, this is the part that I get…that moment we arrive.  That moment has sometimes just gotten so routine due to that week or day’s events, exhaustion from packing, traveling, and doing the arriving so many times over and over the years that this Thanksgiving…I get it!  I’m snapped out of that routine cause we get to see Tiffany!!!!!!  I know what that “hug” will feel like after anticipating seeing whoever is you are anticipating.  I feel horrible for all the “half hugs” I’ve given in my sleep deprived travel state! I get why Mam Maw greets us no matter what time we pull in with laughter and smiles! I know now why my mom takes photos of us pulling in the driveway!  (Who can even scrapbook that!  We’re in a car pulling in…can’t make out faces!  But Grandma is getting a picture!)  Like I said…I get it and am only in this part of my parenting for a sliver.  A suh–live–er…