Life is full of them. And I guess a big part of life is moving from one passage to the next.
I wrote in my last post about Younger Son getting the job with the publication that covers Notre Dame. He is there now, and all seems to be well.
Wife and I left last Saturday morning in his truck and a borrowed truck, both packed with Younger Son's belongings. It's about a 7.5-hour drive from Nashville to Mishawaka, the town where he is living, which is right next to South Bend, where Notre Dame is located. (We could make it in 7 hours if we didn't have to make bathroom stops but that's not happening at our age).
It's not a bad drive at all -- we just headed north from here.
You might be wondering where Younger Son was we drove up there. That would be a fair question, since it is he who has moved.
Well, for several months he has had a fishing trip in Wyoming planned, so when he got this job offer, he was able to negotiate a start date so he could still make the trip. We were happy to help him out so he could go. It took some logistical planning, but it all came together.
He left Nashville on Wednesday of the week we would drive to Mishawaka.
After we arrived at his new apartment, we took possession for him and unloaded his stuff. Since he didn't have a bed yet (he had ordered one to be delivered after his arrival), we stayed in a hotel. We worked at his place on Sunday before driving to Chicago, about 90 miles away, into which he flew Sunday night.
I drove back to Nashville Monday. Wife stayed until Wednesday morning when she flew home. Younger Son started work that day.
And the nest is empty again. It's an exercise to which Wife and I have become accustomed -- having them leave, then having them return for a while, then having them leave again, with the final departure being the "launch."
Yesterday we celebrated Wife's birthday and this Thursday we will have our 32nd wedding anniversary.
And time continues to tick away.
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Notre Dame is a beautiful campus, with stately old buildings, and new buildings built to model the old buildings (or that's what it looks like to me).
I'm attaching a couple of photos, including one of "Touchdown Jesus," the famous mural painted on the outside wall of the library, which faces the north end zone -- hence the name.
6 comments:
Happy Anniversary Bob! We just passed 12 years so we've got a couple decades left to catch you!
With that said, we haven't had any fly the nest yet and hopefully won't for another eight plus years. But I remember from the look in my parent's eyes when I left that day so long ago, it is a bittersweet affair. But first I have to get through driver's licensing and dating!
Yes you have a long way to go, Ed, but as I'm sure you've been told (and have already learned), it all goes very fast! But being a parent is a lifetime appointment, and at times I think the "adult" stage might be the most challenging!
I'll agree with you on that "most challenging" thought, Bob - perhaps, in part, because we can no longer "fix" things for them anymore.
Belated birthday wishes to your wife and happy anniversary! You're a year ahead of us... we'll celebrate 31 later this month.
Exactly, Kelly, and also losing authority over them. Was easier when "because I said so" really meant something (although I really tried to use that line sparingly)!
Oh wow! That was nice of you and, I'm sure, greatly appreciated. I'm glad things are going well with the new job, and I would imagine as a parent that is a bit of a relief as well, even though it's hard to have him gone.
I'm the only child, and my dad told me that when I left for college my mom cried so much she couldn't go to work the next day because her eyes were too puffy. :) So I do know those passages are difficult. On the other hand, I like the "grown up" child relationship I have with my mom now.
Congratulations on the anniversary.
Kimberly, thanks for the kind words. We were happy to help him out and, frankly, it gave his mother a lot of satisfaction getting that apartment set up for him. We enjoy road trips, so I have a feeling we will be seeing him soon.
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