60 Feet 6 Inches To Home

Recently, since sending our youngest son to college, many conversations with friends and family have focused around the fact that my husband and I are now empty-nesters. It has been interesting for me to hear the varying opinions on this stage in life. Many of those I spoke with take a position of relief mixed with celebration. It's almost as if they are letting out a deep breath and saying "finally, now we can get on with the rest of our life!"  Others seem extremely sad and even a bit lost.  The uncertainty can be heard in their words and seen on their faces, as they seem to be saying "what will I do with the rest of my life?" My husband and I fall into the category similar to the majority, somewhere in between. Family Vacation 2006 I can relate, in part to every opinion shared by the parents I've spoken to. Most of us have spent significant portions of our lives so far raising kids and as we all know, parenting can be a grind, even in the best o...

Since our boys left for college,  I've found myself reflecting on my experiences as a mother and what I have learned along the way.  Had I known then what I know now, I surely would've done a few things different.  Here are some of the lessons motherhood has taught me so far. Hopefully someone a few steps behind me will find them helpful. This picture describes them perfectly! * No Two Kids Are Alike: Our boys are a prefect example of this. Our oldest is cautious, intellectual, relaxed, sentimental and optimistic. He loves school and excels in academics.  Our youngest will take some risks, is stoic, tenderhearted, great with people and observant. He loves to learn, but is not a fan of school. Due to theses differences we could not  parent them completely the same.  * Take An Interest : This is vitally important, especially for mothers of boys. It gives you a topic of conversation, a way to connect with them.  I learned about Legos, fire...

For our family the last few months have been very busy and it's been quite a while since my last post. This is not out of a lack of things to write about, but rather a matter of me taking the time to sit here and do it. Yesterday it hit me, this time next week we will have just repeated one of the hardest things we have ever done as we move our youngest son college. Thinking back to that time four years ago brought me here. I started this blog as our oldest son was graduating high school. It has been a place for me to think out loud and has given me a way to share my words with others who may need to hear them. Owen's Graduation  Over the last few months I've had many converstations with friends who are walking this road alongside me. Some for the first time and others like myself have been here before.  To be honest I am not sure who has the easier journey.  With my oldest I had no idea how I would feel or the impact this change would have on our family. ...

Handsome Max In early February our sweet dog Max was diagnosed with Insulinoma, a rare form of pancreatic cancer. The symptoms are similar to diabetes, very low blood sugar, shaking and being unable to stand or walk. Treatments are invasive, expensive and either way the prognosis is poor, especially for a almost 15 year old dog.  So we brought him home, loved on him and made him comfortable. His first day with us. A month ago yesterday we took Max back to the vet one final time. The decision had became clear, but even with that clarity it was devastating.  Our hearts were breaking, we wished there was another solution. We were putting it off for our benefit, but we knew what needed to be done for him. Max joined our family in the spring of 2004 after Kellan found him on a Second Chance Pet Adoptions  website. I can't remember if we were really in the market for another dog or if we were talked into the idea.  He was given the name "Slugger" by the fam...

This week we began our 8th and final season of high school baseball. As I added games to the already busy schedule the reality set in that this Spring will be a whole season of lasts. We have been here before with our older son, so you would think we would be better prepared this time around. I guess in some ways we are, but for all the ways this road seems familiar the journey down it has been different in many ways. This picture show their differences well! Academically: Our oldest son Kellan, loved school. He was a good student, took challenging courses and enjoyed most of them. He met the expectations of his teachers, the system and environment in general. Owen is extremely smart and curious. He loves to learn and is self motivated to do so when something grabs his interest. The classroom however, has not always been the best fit for him which has created challenges we did not expect. Activities: For Kellan the focus in high school was simple. Baseball was and stil...