Two posts in the same year....you must be wondering what the hell is going on in my head if I'm actually going to have a post two months apart!
Life is about learning and growing and moving on. A lot of milestones and passages are occurring all around me, the last few years have been full of them! My best friend is having her first baby at the age of 47. Yes, 47!!! Believing that this was an experience she would never have, she was surprised to find out that she was 5 1/2 months pregnant. The baby's expected delivery date is May 12th...my 24th wedding anniversary. I guess I can't yell at her for not even getting us a card, huh?
My oldest will be twenty at the end of summer and is experiencing some adult joys and disappointments. He's handling them with strength and grace. He hasn't been home in four months, not the longest absence, but still a long time to be away from home. This time around, he's adapting more quickly. He doesn't complain about hating his duty station or the general area as much as he did the first few times he came home. Bittersweet, if you ask me. I always want him to miss being home. But I also want him to pave his own road, make his own and be independent. Even if that means I am too far away to go running to his side when he has a car accident. (Yep, that did happen and thankfully, he was ok. Still hurts when you can't check the boo boos yourself.)
That vacation I mentioned in my last post? 16 days away!!! We won't have a carte blanche vacation. But seriously, Kip and I are fairly low maintenance and don't need to eat at the best places, buy the "expensive" jewelry or take that submarine dive. We just need time to disconnect and be us. It's the perfect way to culiminate a tough two years.
Graduate school...OH MY GOD! I didn't realize just how taxing it would be. I'm nearly done my first class, and truthfully, I should be preparing my power point presentation rather than blogging. But I have learned so much in six weeks! I can't wait to see what the rest of this program brings.
The biggest milestones happening in our life this year are that our youngest son is turning 18 (in a few days) and going to college. I'm not sure which surprises me more. That he actually made it to 18 without me damaging him or that he's going to college! He was not the child I expected to go to college. He's barely making it through high school. We had a tour of his school last week and I've got to say, I'm really impressed. Mostly with him. He's really matured a lot in the last few years. He's more of a responsible adult than most of the people five to ten years older than him. He has a lot of growing and learning left to do...but he's really pulled himself around and I don't think I need to worry as much. I'll still worry, I am a mom after all...just not about as much.
We'll have an "empty nest." Our boys will be far enough away that planning days in advance needs to occur. No quick trips up the road to get that hug from both of them. That will be the hardest part for me. But, I know that this is a normal progression and I am most certainly not the first mom to deal with it. We'll have an empty nest, but never an empty heart. We've passed as much knowledge and experience on as we could...now it's time for both of our boys....no, our young men....to see what they can do with it. To so what they can experience and learn. Fly high and safe...and never forget where your nest is!
