Ever since I was 17 I've lived away from my family. First off to RICKS for a year, then it was BYU for 2 years, we lived in St. Louis for 4 years, now, we've been here for 2 1/2 years. I miss my family always. Mostly though on holidays and summer BBQ's, baptisms and blessings, even those every so often date night movie nights they have. It's something I have gotten use to I suppose, being away, but that doesn't make it easier.Sitting here thinking, there is only one thing that comes to mind as being a positive about living away from family. That is, when family comes to visit I get them all to myself! No sharing them with anyone, no leaving at the end of the day, just quality time with the family. This last week my mom and dad were here to remind me just how lucky I am. It means so much to me that they come visit us often. I love chatting and talking with my mom, we always have good conversations. I love having them see our girls and just what they're doing and saying these days. I love how Gabriella wakes up extra early because she knows Grandpa will be awake to turn any show she requests on for her and feed her bananas on the floor while laying under blankets. I feel spoiled about all the time we get to ourselves when they're here.
It's always fun when they come because we do something different every time and we do the same wonderful things we have found out here that we love. Really though, for me, it's about the quality time.The absolute hardest thing about being away is how little they know our girls compared to all the other grand kids. We miss seeing them on Halloween or Christmas morning. Or, when the time comes, soccer games and school plays. That's definitely the hardest.
I always have a tough time saying goodbye when they leave after a visit. We've been blessed recently because we saw them in September in California, then this last week, and we'll see them again in Arizona in a month, so it wasn't quite so hard this time. That is until we just barely pulled away from the curb at the airport after dropping them off when Gabriella said "I love sharing my house with Grandma and Grandpa." That's when the waterworks started and that's when I realized that my girls will miss being away from their grandma's and grandpa's just as much as we miss being away too. But just so you know, we love sharing our house!
6 comments:
That is a great post Jamie. I might only know 1/2 of how you feel. I certainly understand what it is like to not live by family since I was in AZ for 11+ years by myself. I remember how hard it was having Kylee without mom being here, and how I just sobbed in the doctors'parking lot(I am crying right now) at Kylee's 1 week visit when mom and dad left to drive home. I remember being estatic when mom and dad moved here. I can hardly remember them not being here for my kids anything now. I can only imagine how you feel. It must just be so hard. Certainly you are lucky that they do get to visit so often, and you should just enjoy every minute of it. WE can't wait to see you guys. Love you
You should know that I miss you as much as you miss us...probably more. Even though we're here now and we do things as a "family" it isn't quite a family when a very imporatant piece is missing---you! We love when we get to visit and you get to visit! We miss you everyday you aren't here!!!
I hate walking away and saying goodbye to all of you!! You are right, 4 weeks to see you again isn't so bad. Bryn is right, we do lots of family things, but all is not complete without you. I miss you every single day.
fun having family visit! I love looking forward to it! The visits are always great!
Having family visit is so fun, I bet the girls loved having grandma and grandpa around!
I am crying reading this because you just explained so many of my emotions I have right now. I'm the only one in my family that isn't in Arizona and I HATE IT! I love to read blogs about my family getting together but at the same time it just makes me more homesick. I do have to agree with you though that it's fun not to have to share when you have visitors.
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