…or (Little) Girls' Night Out. We like to take a couple kids at a time out for special fun events that might be more relevant to just them – a particular movie or concert or whatever.  When their daddy was out of town Alannah and I took the little girls to the fall festival at the nature center.  Brendan was on the fence and decided against going in the end.  

The nature center is one place that always feels like home to me.  In all our freakishly mobile married life we have never lived in the same place a second time.  

Ever. 

Never, ever. 

I can't really stress enough how different it is to be back in a place you once lived very long ago.  Many things have changed.  The nature center has not. We came every month when the older boys took classes here.  It is something of a comfort to me to be here again.  A rare concrete link to that other life. 

On this night there was cotton candy and game playing and wildlife shows until well after dark. Very exciting when you are 8.  Or 48.  : )