At my house, someone is always moving in, moving out, or away! My husband and I have five children. He has three, and I have two ranging from ages 31-22. We each have a 31-year old (Kia and Daniel), 28 (Ian), 24 (Evan), and 22 (Nathan). This year Nathan is moving away to college in the mountains of Gunnison, CO. In the last two years, Kida, Evan, and his new wife Kristy have moved out of state. His daughter Kia moved to NC; his younger son Evan to Tampa. Kia is an assistant volleyball coach for Brevard College and had a tournament in Orlando in June 2021. What better opportunity to visit with both!
My Ian, who still lives in Colorado, joined us for the weekend-long trip. Traveling was not as challenging as it was during the trip to Puerto Rico in March. Things were more relaxed as far as masks, capacity, and social distancing. Being vaccinated against COVID-19 allowed us to feel more comfortable in public social gatherings.
We attended my Kia’s volleyball convention, visited breweries, went to Clearwater beach, ate fresh seafood, and met Kristy’s family. My stepson Evan was happy to introduce us to all his favorite places and activities the entire time we were there.
Seeing your children thrive and start their own families made us feel warm inside. Some may think that aging and empty-nesting is scary, but I say it’s exciting! You have the time to create new adventures with your partner. Glen and I now have the opportunity to focus on ourselves, our relationship, and our future retirement. Visiting our out-of-town children will always come first, and the rest of our time, who knows.