I'm Baaaaaack!

Ed Begley Jr. Really.

Oh, my goodness! I feel as if I have been gone for many years, years during which I was constantly thinking of funny things to say here and taking pictures of food. And now I don't even know where to start.

Should I start with the day K and I arrived in the nation's capital just before midnight, weary and covered with trail dust, and discovered that our reserved and pre-paid room had been GIVEN AWAY TO SOMEONE ELSE? Or should I kick off my travelogue with a description of the 7:30 a.m. evacuation in the subsequent hotel that turned out to be a surprising insight into my psyche?

Should I talk about spending quality time with three of the four Boys, plus Lovely Girl, and loving every.single.minute of it? Or, every.single.minute up until the time I misread my flight itinerary and MISSED MY FLIGHT HOME?

What if I mentioned how beautiful our nation's capital is at this time of the year, especially since I managed to escape before the latest round of snow that led to a snow day for federal employees, which, all things considered, might be best for all concerned? And that I never, ever got tired of seeing the Capitol dome as we drove thisclose past it several times each day?

How about a report on one of our Boys who completed (without dying) an athletic feat I never, ever in a million years imagined a product of Husband's and my gene pools attempting, much less completing?

Or maybe you just want pictures of food, of which I took so many that at one point Boy#1 took a picture of his own pasta and sent it to me with the helpful label "food"?

Oh, people, I have stories. Many, many stories. But since I've already thrown out so many tantalizing teasers that I'm sure you are sitting on pins and needles in anticipation of hearing what I ate while I was gone, I will leave you with one of yesterday's highlights:

I was three people behind Ed Begley Jr. in the security check-in. Yes, I was. It was confirmed by the lovely TSA agent who, when I breathlessly whispered "WAS THAT ED BEGLEY JR.?" replied. "Yeah. I think maybe I should know him, but I don't remember where I've seen him," so I had to smack her over the head with my Dr. Victor Ehrlich Fan Club membership card. And EBJ looks exactly like himself, which is much more like him than the picture I snapped with my cellphone did. My carry-on and jacket traveled into the x-ray machine immediately after his, so closely the CSI team could probably get EBJ genetic traces off of my Samsonite.

I did not approach him, though, because it was late and we were in a terribly busy airport and no one wants to make chitchat while  trying to put shoes and belt back on, but if I had ventured closer, I would have told him how much I have appreciated his work over the years, both for the environment and in keeping me entertained as Dr. Ehrlich and as Erin's father on The Office and during countless roles in between. I would have thanked him, but I'm hoping it was enough thanks that I left him alone during the indignity of personal reassembly following security check.

He is a lovely man, and seeing Ed Begley Jr. was a lovely and fitting end to this trip. Stay tuned for details.