Round two of ICU party time, commence! I’m headed back to New Mexico to be the Family in the room while my mother has another surgery, now 6 weeks after the last one from which she has not healed.

I’m super sad that my children were horrible demon spawn all day long instead of cuddling quietly with me on the couch while I spent the entire day on the phone shuffling between my mother, her friend, my sister, the nurses, the surgeon, and our emergency child care faction. Phone calls, in case you were not aware, can really suck the life out of a day.

—finishing this entry on the fly- out the door to the airport in 10. I”m bright eyed and bushy tailed this a.m., pre-air jitters keeping me awake and alert. I’m calling it alert and not anxious. My goal for this whole trip is to avoid tranquilizers. wish me luck.

Surgery this afternoon. Onward!