I miss

After six months of on the road craziness, adventure, chaos, and excitement, these are just some of the things that I'm dearly missing these days.

* Having my niece and nephews run up to me yelling "Aunt Shannon is here! Aunt Shannon is here!" and then jumping into my arms for hugs and kisses
* Red wine
* Being able to make a call whenever I feel like it - because a person popped into my head, because I thought of something I forgot to tell them, because I want to make plans to get together, because I'm bored or want to catch up
* Watching movies

* Hearing bless you when I sneeze

* Getting dressed up and wearing make-up and looking pretty (although, I gotta say, splashing your face with cold water in the middle of the day to cool down and to rinse off some of the dust and sweat? Pretty awesome. You can't do that when you're wearing make-up unless you want to start all over again.)
* Chat sessions with girlfriends lasting well into the wee hours of the night
* Lazy Sundays with mimosas, eggs, the crossword puzzle, and music in the background
* Hanging around the island in my parents' kitchen as we chat, cook dinner, and clean up afterwards
* Driving
* Impromptu indoor picnics with a selection of cheeses, a crusty baguette, proscuitto, a bunch of grapes, and a bottle of wine
* My dad's laughter and smart aleck comments
* Getting dressed in the morning and knowing I have more to choose from than just three tops, three bottoms, and a pair of shoes
* Watching my friends' kids grow up
* Thirsty Third Thursday with two of my favorite people in the world
* Not having to budget and account for every single dollar I spend every day
* Cooking regularly and baking my own bread
* Sleeping in a bed that's mine, all mine, with my sheets and my pillows and my smells
* Having more music to listen to than just what's on my iPod

* Having pets. When I settle down again, I just might need to get a dog or a cat.

This is part three of the six month anniversary series. Parts one and two were before that if you missed them.