Throw momma from the train, a kiss

Little man goes to Washington
London, ON
May 2013

Sunday mornings are normally for sleeping in, lazy mornings when we let the kids take care of the dog while we enjoy our only untimed, unscheduled, undeadlined morning of the week.

Not this Sunday.

We set alarms for 5 a.m. and drowsily patted a puzzled puppy as we ushered our bleary-eyed little man out the door and into a frosty car. Yesterday was a big day for him, one he'd been waiting for all year: his class trip to Washington, DC.

We cruised into the school parking lot and joined up with a similarly bleary-eyed group of parents and kids. The sun hadn't risen high enough in the sky yet, so everyone's priority while we waited for the rest of the kids to arrive was to ward off the chill.

Soon enough, the group was complete and they gathered up their bags and converged with their teachers on the mega-van rented for the trip. After a quick last-hug, Noah hopped in with his friends, smiling faces and waving hands mostly concealed by the tinted glass. And then, just like that, they were gone.

Since this is 2013, he was able to message us whenever they stopped along the way and found free wi-fi. He pinged us as soon as they got to the hotel, too - and sent his sister a picture of the hotel pool. I expect he'll be taking a lot of pictures, absorbing a lot of experiences, and writing yet another page in the journal of a rapidly expanding life.

It was a quiet house last night. As I fetched the dog from Noah's empty room, I counted the number of sleeps left until he returns home Thursday night. Only four; a blink, really. Knowing him, however, we knew he was already filling his first night away with memories he'll carry for decades. Doubtless he'll do the same with every moment on this trip, because that's just the way he is. And we wouldn't have it - or him - any other way.

Happy travels, little man.

Your turn: What was your favorite childhood trip?