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Bryce came home for two nights and one day this week.  It was great to have him here, but also kind of sad to say good-bye again.  This time for a whole lot longer.  His visit for work happened to coincide with Porter's back to school night, which was hectic and not all that useful.  But we did get to see some fun self portraits.

With Bryce home, I even got the chance to take a walk by myself, which I took in the forest behind our neighborhood.  I took a wander off the trail, and when I got back to where it should be, it just wasn't.  I looked around and all of a sudden nothing looked familiar, and I started doubting which direction I should even take.  Or where I came from.  I spent some time walking around in circles, following what felt like imaginary tracks.  It was silly, because I've been up there many times, and it really should be pretty hard to get lost.  I got that little panicky feeling in my throat, but then I remembered my phone.  Turns out those maps are pretty useful, even if it's just a big blank spot with a blinking blue dot.  I could tell I was going in the right direction and getting closer to my house.  And even though Dawson was my only witness, I felt really, really un-Alaskan walking through the forest staring down at my phone.  But I was also really, really glad to find my way back.