SIX. Bottles.

As Dad was packing he proudly showed me his ziploc baggie of six little freebie shampoo bottles from hotels. They are from the Choice Hotel chain in a design they retired probably a decade or more ago. He holds them up, as if they are a burden he just can't shake. "They're so close to the end that I have to put a little water in there and shake them up to get the shampoo out." 

No. You don't. 

Do it when you're in the shower finishing the last mobile bit, sure. SURE. I'm not a monster, I rinse out bottles of stuff like shampoo too. But to have six of them, six that you hauled across multiple states on a one week trip to visit family? Why?? Why are there six?? Why are there six that I know about, and how many more are there?!?

Uncle Vernon's old socks

That's ten black socks, a twin size "sheet thing" and a bag of nuts. I'll let you decide which is which.

And we're back

It's been a while, so here are the updates. Mom and Dad are arriving this evening. The kids are now ages 7 and 5. Mom and Dad now live in the same location, my hometown, in the house I grew up in. Along with my adult sister who is (as far as I know) holding down a job for the first time and has had it for not quite a year. She works from home. She's not coming, but she'll inevitably figure in to some stories. 

By the way, this whole post from two years ago reenacted itself, except this time Mom said, "Oh, did you turn your back on them too?" Mom, I turned my back on food poisoning. Other reasons are irrelevant.