Glad I Turned Around

Bridgitte and Stella at Stacy's baby shower

I'm glad I turned the car around tonight.  It was about five o'clock and Stella and I were headed home to Nottingham from a friend's baby shower in Loudon - we left Tim in Loudon to spend time with our friends, who were going to give him a ride home.  The baby shower was for Stacy - Stacy and her husband, Chris, live in Michigan, but Stacy grew up in NH.  The last thing Chris said to me as I hugged him goodbye was that we probably wouldn't see each other until this coming summer.  As I drove away - concerned about getting Stella to bed on time - I felt so sad at the thought of not seeing these dear friends for so many months...especially since we only got to spent about five minutes together due to the hustle and bustle of the baby shower.  I drove about ten minutes toward home and decided to turn the car around.  I'm glad I did, because I would have missed precious moments like this:

Stacy and Chris - Stella's future in-laws??

And this...

Tim, Stella, and Ox - Stella LOVES Ox.

I also would have missed seeing Stella smile and laugh at the moon as we drove home tonight as a family.  I sat in the back with her and got to watch her wonderment (I recall being simultaneously puzzled and comforted as a child at how the moon seemed to follow us wherever we went).  I also got to see Tim's eyes smile in the rearview mirror as he listened to his daughter cooing.  I watched Stella drift off to sleep in her carseat and then, when we arrived home, I watched her peacefully fall right back asleep in my arms.  I'm learning to live life with no regrets - oh, what I would have missed had I not turned around.