Quiet House, Loud Heart
Another week of work, dad jokes, and counting the days until home feels full again
The second full week back at work is in the books, and it’s been another quiet one. Without Jasper or my partner around, the house feels extra empty—like someone hit the mute button on life. The dog is holding things down, though. Solid listener. Terrible conversationalist.
This week did come with some excitement thanks to the crazy wind storms. We played it safe and spent Friday night at my mom’s house for dinner. The plan was to hang out and watch the Indiana vs. Oregon game… but since it turned into a blowout early, we called it a night and headed home. No need to risk flying patio furniture and bad football.
Saturday was all about laying low—relaxing, cleaning the house, and catching up on the things you ignore when life is loud. No big plans, but honestly, it felt good to just reset for a day.
Sunday, I met my aunt for lunch—currently the only family member within an hour of my house. We ended up at the same restaurant where my partner and I had our American wedding reception about 11.5 years ago. Great fish sandwich. Strong nostalgia. Definitely didn’t help with the missing-them part.
Work has already been busy Sunday and Monday, and I expect more of the same this week. It’s a different kind of grind when you come home to quiet instead of toys on the floor and a toddler running the house.
Still showing up. Still moving forward. And still counting down the days until the noise, chaos, and joy come back home—because even though I joke about it, being a dad doesn’t come with an “away game” mode… you just keep playing until the home team returns.