More than Mexican

The Hat Trick and I got to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants with one of our favorite people today. Around the corner from the newspaper where Geddy and I once worked is LaFiesta, home of the bestest Mexican food ever. From the newspaper office, our dear friend Angela edits Newnan-Coweta Magazine, so she was able to meet us for lunch.

As usual on the rare occasions we get to see her, our visit was way too short. She's practically a member of our family -- she was at the births of all three children, who call her "Auntie." She filled me in on my old work crowd, which reminded me that as of December, I have been at home longer than I worked there.

Some of her updates gave me a little pang, thinking of the fun we used to have and how great it was to feel in the loop. Others reminded me with a jolt how stressful parts of the job of a journalist can be, and validated my claim that I would never be able to do my old work and raise my family. (Some people can, just not me!)

It's always nice to have another perspective, especially from someone I dearly love, gently reminding me what a privilege it is to be at home with my not-such-babies. Being at home, especially when we've taken on the responsiblity of The Hat Trick's education as well, certainly isn't easy. But as I shared some kid funnies and boasted a bit (who wouldn't, if they had my great kiddos?), my zest for mothering and teaching got a great boost.

If homeschooling and at-home motherhood is difficult at times, getting too bogged down in day-to-day duties and worries is way too easy. Today, it was fantastic to share my enthusiasm for my current job with a captive audience.

Oh, and the chips and salsa were great, too!