Monday afternoon thoughts.

1. MIL's house appears to be safe, thankfully! It looks as though the fire came within one mile of her. The fire is not contained, but we have our fingers crossed things will continue to go well in fighting the fire.

2. I have bug bites -- huge red welts -- all over my legs. They itch. No one else has them. What a PITA.

3. I need a vacation after my vacation. I am still in my jammies. I've been online all day trying to catch up with blogs, groups, emails and I'm not close to catching up. I've also been reading about the fire. Forget the fact I have unpacking to do, floors to vacuum (Dear Bob, love you, hon, appreciate the house being picked up when we arrived home and that you bought me my Fat-Free half and half for my coffee, but remember we have two cats and one dog -- have you ever heard of a vacuum, man?)

4. I need to start Weight Watchers again. The photos taken of me on vacation are SCARY.

5. My legs itch. Oh, I already whined about that.

6. My dad says I complain all the time. Who in the heck does he think he is telling me that I complain all the time? tee-hee-hee I can't help it that I cannot stand Denver traffic -- I actually have nightmares about it. Really, that's all I complained about, but apparently it was all the time.

7. I have seen very little of Thomas today. I have no idea what he is doing. Bad mom. I think he's unwinding, just as I am.

8. I am so thankful to be home and that our trip was safe. I was so sad to leave dad, though.

9. Kansas is flat. Very, very flat.

10. Nebraska isn't much better. Neither is eastern Colorado.

11. Driving through Omaha (yes, I was nervous about that) wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. It reminded me of driving into Denver 20 years ago.

12. Although there is so much to do in big cities, I will never live in one again. Too many people and cars.

13. I love doing genealogy. I love walking cemeteries, even when it is 95 degrees. I loved putting my 85-cent flowers that I bought at Walmart (Memorial Day clearance items) on the graves.

14. I love my dog. I did not, however, miss his constant farting. What a rude awakening to come home to that. We were joking with my dad about Denver's brown cloud, and Thomas spoke up and said that Jerry has a brown cloud of his own. So true, Thomas.

15. When you have a fear of driving in Denver (basically the interstates) such as I do, old highways are your friend. I drove for one hour on Colfax all the way through town so I could avoid the interstates when leaving. It was lovely. It was stress free. It was SOOO worth it. Just ask Thomas -- I didn't complain during that drive at all.

16. I am proud of myself. Even though I fear Denver interstates, I faced my fear coming into town. I was going to get off I-25 as soon as I hit the outskirts of Denver and head over to Wadsworth, but I didn't. Something deep inside me dared myself to face my fear. I drove I-25 all the way in. Yes, I had sweaty palms. Yes, I was astounded at the amount of traffic on a Saturday. Yes, I was freaked out when there appeared to be six lanes of traffic on a few occasions. However, I learned to be a right-lane driver. I learned the right lane is my happy place. I did it. And I set an example for Thomas: Face your fears.

17. My legs still itch.

18. My animals love me and went crazy when I got home. All came to greet Thomas and I, even the finicky cat.

19. My husband loves me. He went crazy when i got home. He greeted me, hugged me, had purchased my favorite dinner-in-a-box for me and my coffee creamer. He changed the sheets. He even did the majority of his laundry while I was gone. (I know he didn't vacuum and I have to check to see if he paid the bills -- but he's a good man.)

20. I love my home. It's a small, unpretentious place, and I am glad to be back.

21. I love to procrastinate. I have work to do and yet I sit at the computer...