The Old House

We moved back to our hometown in 1990.  We had been headed for Tennessee, but at the very last minute, we couldn’t leave.  T had been offered a job, and we had sold our first little house.  We packed up everything as we prepared to move across the country.  We loaded it all into a moving van with the help of our families.  I’ll never forget that day in 1990.  Baby Andrew was asleep in his car seat between us in the front seat as we prepared for a long drive.  We sat for a moment staring at our first house before we pulled away, and I began to cry.  My parents were not taking this move very well.  Neither were his parents.  I don’t remember who said it first, but instead of heading for Tennessee, we headed for my parents home 20 miles away.  The next day, we rented a storage unit, unloaded the truck, and began to look for a home in the town where we had once proclaimed we would never return.

Can This Be Optimism?

The trip to Vegas did me wonders.  I’m still feeling upbeat since my return.  There was one moment on my trip, sitting in the sun talking with two friends, when I felt a warm tingle.  During this particular moment, I felt life’s blessings surrounding me.  I was warm.  The sun was shining, and I was with friends.  I felt humbled to know that they actually like me, chose to spend time with me, and that they cared for me.  I knew it was one of those moments in life that would become a treasured memory, and I felt honored to know it as it was happening.  I sat there thinking in disbelief, “These are good people, and they are my friends.”  I had grown to believe that I did not deserve such things.  I still smile at the thought of such a blessing in my life, a simple moment that made me happy to be alive and on this earth.

Reunited!

T quit his job.  Yep.  His last day was Friday.  By 6:00 p.m. he was home.  Home here with me.  After four months of living apart, we’re under the same roof once again.  Two empty houses sit back at home.  Neither one of them are sold.  Although we have an offer pending on my parents’ home, we’re not taking that for granted.  Four previous offers have fallen through at the 11th hour.  T had hoped to have a job offer prior to quitting his job and moving here.  Hopefully, he will by the end of this week, but that hasn’t happened yet.  Finally….finally…finally after months of living apart, T took a GIANT leap outside of his comfort zone.  He said a mental “F*&# it” and joined his family.  

Three Months Out

I’ve been thinking about this blog a lot lately.  I have intended to write an update for weeks.  The truth is, I have been too busy, too overwhelmed, and often too tired.  So much has happened during these past months.  I don’t know where to begin.  I’ll start with the basics.

I have moved, and I’m beginning to feel somewhat settled.  I’ve begun to feel a sense of “new normal” beginning to emerge over the past few weeks.  I am renting a nice house in a lovely neighborhood.  The girls live with me and are adjusting nicely.  T is still living in our home two hours away.  Both our home and my parents’ home remain on the market.   We have had three different offers on the homes fall through.  An offer is pending now on my parents’ home, but I’m taking wagers on when this most recent offer will hit the proverbial brick wall.  T visits us on the weekends.  He has a potential job offer in the works, but I’m trying not to think too much about anything that isn’t final.  I’ve begun to learn that until the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted, ANYTHING can happen.  (I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way!)

How Do They See Me?

Last spring, I took a day off work to volunteer in Lola’s class for Olympic Day. It was on one of the last days of school. There are games, races, and contests. Well before Lola was born, I spent about five years as PTA president planning Olympic Day events. I knew the drill, but Lola didn’t know that. She became obsessed with what I was going to wear to Olympic Day. For about a week, she quizzed me on what I thought I might wear, and then she would point out that whatever particular outfit I was wearing would be entirely inappropriate for Olympic Day. These conversations would typically occur when I walked in the door still wearing the clothes I had worn to the office that day. What? I shouldn’t wear a skirt and heals to Olympic Day? Day after day, I had a lot of fun teasing Lola. Finally the weekend came, and when I came downstairs wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she said “There! Wear THAT to Olympic Day!”

Golden Yellow Cords

On Friday I took a vacation day, because Lola had no school due to parent teacher conferences.  T and I met with her fourth grade teacher the previous evening, so Friday was a relaxing day of sleeping in and hanging out.  I’ll take a moment here to be a proud, doting mother.  Lola received an A+ in every subject, and I am so proud of her!  She is an amazing girl. I am especially proud, because she refuses any help or parental checking of her homework.  She earned those grades, and she’s very proud of her achievement. I am, too!

Tell Me A Little About This Karma Thing

Without fail, whenever all four kids are home, we have a few Hallmark moments.  It’s wonderful to see them come together now as adults, to see that they have missed each other, and to listen to their conversations.  On the other hand, things eventually disintegrate, and the siblings revert back to competitive children vying for attention.  Those Hallmark moments often turn into something you might see on the Jerry Springer show.  It is exhausting to keep a lid on things and to monitor the situation.

Transitions

I’m sitting on the patio wearing shorts and a sweatshirt.  It’s such a lovely evening that I decided to take my laptop outside to write.  The sun is setting, and I’ve lit a couple of candles on the patio table.  The locusts are buzzing in the trees.  Near and far they’re calling out to each other.  The sounds are in layers coming loudly from the trees overhead but a softer, lower pitch from the trees out by the field.  The breeze is cool on my bare legs, and although I know that the heat of summer is not gone, I can feel the season beginning the transition into fall.