This past week, Mr. RO and I took our first trip back to the U.S. since we landed in Panamà back in April. Duty calls – our granddaughter was celebrating her birthday!

We had a lovely, and busy, weekend.

Time spent at the pool. Mini-golf. Indoor amusement parks. We discovered Activate, an interactive gaming experience that was beyond cool (if you have a chance to go to one, I highly recommend it).

Per the birthday girl’s request, we had her birthday dinner at In-N-Out, with the birthday dessert being frosted sugar cookies from Target (yes, we added a candle and sang Happy Birthday).

We may have fit a visit to a LEGO store in there as well.

We discovered that all three generations of the family know the lyrics to “Sweet Caroline”.

Things hadn’t changed much, but our perception of them has. We marveled at the traffic (or rather, lack thereof). The roads seemed so empty compared to what we are used to in Panamà. Restaurant prices seem like they’ve increased even from when we were there earlier this year. And the restaurants are packed! In Panamà, we’ve never had to wait for a table at a restaurant.

All too soon, it was time to return to Panamà.

It was a long travel day – two flights starting at 7:30 am meant an early start. It also meant that we landed in Panamà City around sunset.

I had a window seat, and as we made our final approach to Tocumen Airport, I spotted the landmarks I’ve come to recognize. Taboga Island. Ships lining up waiting to entry to the Canal. The Amador Causeway. The Cinta Costera circling around Casco Viejo. Avenida Balboa. Punta Pacifica. Costa del Este (the buildings to the right in the picture).

As we glided in for a landing, it dawned on me one other thing was different: this is home.

I knew this would happen at some point – where I would feel more comfortable here than elsewhere. Visiting family felt like just that – visiting. I didn’t think it would happen just yet.

It feels good to be home.