Coming home with more baggage than we left with

After a sometimes hectic, sometimes relaxing trip back to Ohio to visit and pick up our dog from her summer in Michigan, we came back to New York with a bit more baggage than we left with. It belonged to my sister, Brittany, and my cousin, Gillian, who hitched a ride in the van we rented to get back to New York. Free ride for them, and two built-in, always-hangout-ready family members for me!

But because I had just taken a vacation to go back home, I had to work extra shifts at the coffee shop to make up for all the time I'd missed there. So between working, preparing for and going on several job interviews at publishers that I lined up while on vacation, and getting a few winks each night, I tried my best to hang out with the girls without asking them for too many favors along the lines of "make all these copies for my writing portfolio" (thanks Gill!) or "get my husband his birthday present" (thanks Britters!).

It was a feat of epic proportions, but I still managed to go to dinner with the girls before taking them both to their first Broadway show (Avenue Q, natch), bringing them along to serve as my basketball team's personal cheering section (though I think they flirted with the guys on the other teams more than they cheered), experiencing the museum of sex together (fun!) and lining up a group of my friends to entertain them at trivia night at the bar before I could get there (gotta love the Joshua Tree on a Tuesday!).

Though I was sad to see them go - I love visitors - I have to admit that I was relieved to have a portion of the weekend to recouperate, and by that I mean sleep! Lots of job prospects to cross my fingers for...