I am that mom who had my kids out the door early. Summer camps and travel experiences led straight to college and beyond. Even if they circled back home they were clear across the country in no time at all. My mom never held me back from life either. Regardless of my questionable decision making, she let the cards fall as they would. When I needed to circle back, she made sure I did not shy away from life for long. All that is to say that I don’t often have them, my children, together in one frame, but last week they stood together for a moment, on a grassy hill, with the latest addition to the clan kicking a soccer ball, ocean pounding along on the horizon and the cobalt blue taking up the vast sky overhead, and I smiled.
Tag Archives: Grandparents
how it’s going
Six months ago we made our last dump run, filled our front lawn with the last of the give-away free-stuff, watched the movers load up a houseful and drive west, and then we shut the door on our Vermont home one last time. Late July can be an iffy time to drive across the stormy mid-west and most certainly the scorching west but without too much strain we arrived in our new SoCal condo unscathed. There was some lag time before the movers arrived while we “camped” in our empty place, but with makeshift “furniture” and one-skillet cooking, we did just fine. I always swore I would not move somewhere just because that’s where my children now lived, but life certainly changes when a grandchild arrives on the scene. After a year of flying back and forth, we decided he just might be reason enough to move to the Gold Coast, with the ocean biking-distance from our home and palm trees swaying under blue skies most every day. Six months in, yes, he’s worth it.
How it Started…How it’s Going
Moving 3,000 miles East to West was quite an undertaking which took months to prep for and carry out, but our first visitor made the whole ordeal make sense. Jackie D, just passing the threshold of two is filled with excitement for adventure, and we consider ourselves beyond blessed to witness his discoveries. Within the shortest amount of time, he granted us new monikers, Amma and Nai Nai, and with ease delighted us with his chuckles and quirks. Being two, he is also on the ready to tell us what he doesn’t want too and that is fine with us because we are here to learn all he wants to become.
Nine Cent Girl 