My husband and I returned Sunday evening from our half-way-point rendevous with his brother in Ohio and sent our kids with him to visit relatives in Kansas. The ride home was soooooo quiet.

The same goes for the house this morning. I was sort of lost without two other people to get out the door. No lunches to pack, except for grabbing my Lean Cuisine and fork. No one to harrass about getting dressed or brushing teeth or combing hair. Only one breakfast to fix. No fight over the remote to the kitchen TV. Just me and my coffee and the Today show.

It's a strange feeling. It's part calm and relaxation. But it's also an eerie emptiness. When you are so used to taking care of other people in the house, it's hard to know what to do in their absence. When we got home last night at about 8 p.m., I cleaned the bathroom and did some other piddly neatening tasks.

I actually thought I'd feel more free and less weird about the children being away. But I suppose it's early in the game. I do want to embrace this month-long opportunity for us to just be a couple and use the time to focus on myself a bit. Tomorrow I'm going for a run in the morning to celebrate this new ability to leave the house by myself!