Our final day in Utah was relaxing and just plain peaceful. Dolly spent some time reading to Tatum. 
She even found a book I had never heard of for Tot! Look Alikes. Of course I immediately bought the series. A creatively brilliant book of looking deep at something and seeing what it could be!
Off to the airport from an amazing trip. More on that in a moment.
Tatum instantly missed Thomas, so happy that Doug had a secret weapon, besides his charm, to keep Tot busy on the plane!!
Yes, about 10 little plastic dogs. They were a hit and a half. (Aside from the free peanuts and pretzels)
Once we landed, Tatum was Doug’s little bag helper while I went to get compensated for my lost bag. Now, that is a nice little bonus.
As I reflect on this amazing trip, I am reminded of ONE THING.
I miss my brother. I miss him with all of my heart. It’s time for Tatum to fully experience her uncle and all of the trimmings! Those serendipities are not only Dolly and Thomas, but WHO they are. Thomas represents so much more than just their son. He represents a huge piece of WHO Dolly and Johnathan are and the values they represent.
My dream is to spend so much more time with them, and if Johnathan has his way, it will include a trip to Disneyland (he’s an uber-expert in avoiding the crowds and finding all the morsels of what this park is). I’ll add some time in the snow, Christmas gatherings, oodles of board games, and more piano recitals by Thomas. I also can’t get enough of Dolly and her wise, quiet spirit. (although she is a spunky gal!) All of this will be so great for my Tot!!!
Doug also is so grateful for the time as shown by his gratitude card:
Thank you Johnathan, Dolly, and Thomas. You carry on the Scharf name with HONOR! We needed that in our family and its generations to come. We love you with all of our hearts.