"where are the light switches, and where are the liquor stores?"

that was anna's complaint about coming home for christmas this year. and it was funny. let me explain.

all the kids are out of the house and on our own, anna in texas particularly. and ever since i was old enough to drink, my parents just absolutely quit caring if my underage sisters drank. they also stopped censoring themselves as well. mom came home from italy carrying cases of wine, and that christmas, or maybe the one after it, i got 2 wine bottle openers, a wine carrying box with wine in it, and a cocktails recipe book. so when we come home from our various new towns to visit, alcohol invariably plays a part in the reunion. but we no longer remember how to easily get to a convenient liquor store. well, one without bars on it anyway.

speaking of "home," mom has a new one. really cute, close to downtown, but not completely familiar. we're still not sure where everything is, even if it's in plain sight, whereas we could cook a meal, shower, and retire to bed upstairs in the dark in our old house. this house also has an alarm system, thankfully. sort of. it's great for when people try to break into your mother's house in the wee morning hours, but not so great when you fail to remember the alarm code and have the police show up. twice. (it was twice, wasn't it, becca?) or on christmas morning at 7 am letting your dog out (or was it 6, anna?). like i said, a bit unfamiliar, hence the hunt for light switches in the middle of the night. because, according to anna, they are never in the right place. if you were a light switch, where would you be? right next to the door? well--light switch FAIL.

so, we're at dinner on the 23rd, and becca is leaving for a party and has to bring a bottle of wine. mom refuses to give her red and offers up white, which she refuses, saying she'll just go to the liquor store. and then the confusion ensues about where to go. so anna, at the height of the discussion (that didn't even involve her), announces, "that's what i hate about coming home now! i don't know where the liquor stores are! where are the light switches, and where are the liquor stores?!" and that's all about that.

home is a funny thing. we've only really lived in one house growing up. we all went to the same university, right down the road. that's where "home" really is for us girls. but now dad lives in that house, and it's just...different. and mom lives in another house, and even though it's less familiar, i feel more at home there now. weird.