This weekend I was talking to one of our daughters on the phone.  In passing, she mentioned that their garden hose was “broken.” Because a hose is a difficult thing to “break” I inquired further.  She had apparently “broken” the hose by running over it with the mower and she proceeded to describe the nozzle flying across the yard and hitting the fence. Yes, that would do it.  All I could think was how lucky she was that she didn’t break a window, hit the dog in the head, or impale herself or her sister in the process. Who cares about the hose!  Then she added, “it still works, we just can’t use the sprayer anymore since the nozzle is gone.  Water still comes out of the hose though.”

In my head, I was laughing imagining them using this mangled hose.  While it’s perfectly acceptable to use it that way it was her reasons for NOT getting a new hose that struck me most.   First, she didn’t have the extra money to spend on a hose, which is understandable, but she also didn’t want to tell her dad that she had run over the hose.

What?  Seriously?  This is not something he would even bat an eye at.  Now, he wasn’t thrilled about the emergency plumbing, air conditioning and dog surgery that all happened over the weekends, but a hose?  Not even a blip on his radar I can assure you.

I just shook my head and told her I would get them a new hose when I was down there in a few weeks.

Fast forward about 12 hours when I realized that MY parents were on their way to visit us in Colorado.  I know I sound a little surprised, but unless they have airline tickets I am never totally sure if and when they are going to come and visit.  Anyway, once I realized they had indeed left home and were road-tripping across the country I went into a full on panic trying to get ready.  I had to:

wash the sheets

clean the bathrooms

do the laundry

do the ironing

vacuum

mop the floors

go to the grocery

and I am sure I am forgetting something…

My hubby promptly went outside to work in the yard.  I don’t think it had anything to do with getting away from me while I cleaned…

About 3:00 in the afternoon I laughed at myself because I was kind of feeling like my daughter with the hose.  No, I had not broken anything, but I was still trying to prove that I had everything handled.  I guess no matter what our age, we always want our parents’ approval on some level.  Don’t get me wrong, my parents have shown up at my house even with  24 hours notice and my house has looked like a bomb detonated inside.  Guess what?  My parents didn’t care and they were happy to help me get things under control.

I, too, have shown up in Nashville to visit my daughters to find things in need of a little TLC and some groceries.  It doesn’t matter.  I am just happy to see them regardless of what the house looks like.

I don’t think you realize until your own kids are far away that the state of the house is the least of your concerns when  you go to visit.  I used to think I had to have everything just perfect when our families came to visit because this was their vacation and I wanted them to be able to relax and enjoy themselves.  Now, I know it’s just about spending time together.

Mom and Dad never fear, the house is clean and you can just relax and enjoy your stay in Colorado.  Oh, and don’t mind the storage boxes that are lining your bedroom.  It’s the best I could do.