It's Tough to Be Away

While I love living in Wisconsin, it is tough to be away from family when help is needed there. I am so glad that I have such great siblings that can pitch in and help out. With my grandma moving and trying to get the house ready for her and packing up her current residence, I feel bad that I cannot assist and it all lies in the hands of my mom and my brother and sisters. I also kind of miss doing those things with them and the slap happy crazy things that occur when doing those kinds of tasks. I remember one time when we were painting one of the rentals, we made superhero like costumes out of garbage bags. Or the zany things we would do while working the concession stand at Bingo. Or the crazy back breaking labor of putting in the retaining wall and complaining while doing it, but enjoying spending time talking to dad and my siblings. Even though there were times when it is stressful and I grumbled, I look back and kind of miss it.

It is times like these that I think of my dad. With his death occurring two years ago this week, it he is even more present in my thoughts. I think of my dad often and miss him terribly. I have been living away from home for over 10 years now and it has not been easy. My dad was always there to keep me in the loop about what was happening. I cherished the times he would write me in college and would type "Dad" below his signature. It always made me cry. He was very thoughtful. If I didn't call home once a week, he would call and ask why I hadn't called. I admit, it has gotten harder to be in touch with family and friends since I had kids and have been working full time. It feels like I arrive home, make dinner, then it is time to get the kids in bed. Then I throw in a load of laundry, get clothes out for the next day, and finally sit down. By the time I look at the clock it is too late to call anyone because of the time difference. But I do think about all of you, often.

I loved visits from my dad. He would always come with some present for my kids. He would constantly pick things up for Maya. He would be at the grocery store and see something that was Dora and Princesses and buy it for her. He was always thinking about his grandchildren. When he came to visit it was almost as if we had more quality time than when I was living closer to home because we knew that the time was short and needed to make the most of it. Especially when my dad would come to visit for the weekend during a trip to Chicago, it was great because there would always be time after the kids were in bed to just sit and talk to him or watch one of his favorite crime shows. We also would not miss a trip to the Jelly Belly factory for our pound bag of "Bellyflops."

I miss you dad! I love you.

To all of my friends and relatives that are away, I love you all and sorry for not being in touch more. Thanks for all you do!

Here is a quick update on my family. Maya started K5 (Kindergarten for 5 year olds). So far she likes her teacher and has only cried about going to school once. Zeke is still crazy and so aggressive he has had a black eye two weeks in a row from tripping and hitting his face on something hard. Kevan is now 30 and we ushered in his new decade with a small gathering of friends. I started masters classes this week and realized that I knew more than I thought I did. I will just need to be vigilant about keeping my scheduled times to do school work. So, that is it in a nutshell. I hope you are all well.