Tales of the Ordinary Days

Baby is off 6:00 am and he was gone. I've never seen Grant move so fast so early in the morning. Never. And not a tear shed by me. Not one. With barely enough time to remind him, yet one more time, to drive safely; listing off every potential driving threat in the 512 mile stretch to Greeley, CO. He murmured something about talking to me later in the week, closing his door before hearing my response. "Later in the week? Why don't you call me on your way?" Grant gave a smile. I haven't a clue whether he actually heard me, didn't care or thought my request was funny. And then he was off. I distinctly remember the day I packed up my car and moved into the Westmar dormitory when I was eighteen. My mom similarly described my exit as the quickest she had ever seen. College living began at home for me. My parents thought it made the most financial sense (which it did) to save the housing cost as I attended a college nine miles away. I thought otherwis...

A country mile run on mile 2 I have a confession to make. I cried. I cried really hard. The ugly kind where my face scrunched up as I wailed like an inconsolable toddler. It was as Garrett and I sat down to dinner a week ago. My brother, Matt, had left the day before to begin his new life in Arizona. It was a few days before that when my dear friend, Angelique, moved to North Dakota to start the new chapter of her life. The hard realization was setting in that I was just weeks away from Grant moving to Colorado and life never feeling the same to me. My impending empty nest was feeling like an empty heart. So many emotions over so many changes. And although all these changes are good things, great things really, I still cried. "What do I have to be sad about?" I continued to ask myself as I fought the tears away while making dinner. But I didn't win the fight. With my loving, sweet husband sitting across from me at the dinner table and asking  the simple quest...

Selfie attempt at Hy-Vee to memorialize Matt's last purchase as a Nebraska resident (note that Matt was supposed to be in the picture) My brother, Matt, moved out of Omaha this morning. He began his 20 hour road trip to Kingman, Arizona at about 5:30 a.m. With car loaded to the hilt and fresh off of a going-away party from last night, there were few words between us. Just a quick hug and wave. And then he was gone. Life changes just keep marching on in my life and this is another biggie. My brothers and I grew up close in age and close in life. Matt is the oldest and I am the youngest. There is only 28 months between our birthdays with our brother, Mark, born in between. Being so close in age, we shared friends, teachers and experiences through our childhood years. I have often said that birth order rules don't apply to us. There is one thing the three of us share and that is a sense of humor. We fought our way through childhood, constantly trying to outwit each o...