As I mentioned, we are almost empty nesters.
I'll start at the top, though. HD just had a milestone birthday and unfortunately couldn't celebrate in the way that he has become accustomed... by having 200 of his closest friends in our backyard! It was really weird only having family-Don't read that as 'bad', because it was a wonderful party celebrating my favorite human. It was just different than any of us could have imagined. We did have a few family members here from out of town, and some that are close by couldn't come. See? Weird. The other cool thing that he has done lately is he now has a couple initials after his name relating to a new position at his company. I'm super proud of him; he has worked long and hard for this and he really deserves it!
HG and her husband moved from Colorado to Mississippi and they seem to really love it there and are putting down roots. She has family in the area that she moved to, they have joined a church, and have even become foster parents! Their first placement was a sibling pair, and of course they fell in love. While they have been able to go home, HG has maintained a good relationship with their family and has seen the kids a couple of times since they went home. Someday I might even have grandkids!
HB1 graduated in 2018 and headed off to spend his freshman year in Spain in a First Year Abroad program. He traveled quite a bit fell in love with Europe. I'm pretty jealous of the year that he had! London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Northern Italy, the coast of Spain... And those were just his weekend trips! Since last fall he has lived in Boston for college and has really grown to love the northeast. He told me just last week that he wants to stay for a while because he really enjoys the seasons. Because of Covid he may not finish at his school; online classes won't work for his major and paying private school tuition is silly when he already has an internship and paying jobs in his field. So, he's living and working in Boston and I'm looking forward to visiting one of my favorite cities in the very near future.
And that brings me to the baby of the family. Last year, HB2 decided that he no longer wanted to play football, which left his schedule open to take other classes at the high school that he was interested in, as well as have a free period. He made a lot of new friends, and after Christmas he started working at HD's company as a 'yard guy' for a couple of hours after school each day as a way to make money before he went to college. (Insert ominous forshadowing music here!) In March, when the Covid shutdown hit and schools were closed he started working full time, and became an 'essential' worker sanitizing the offices. In July he decided not to go to college, and instead joined the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,) to go through the apprenticeship program. He will also get an engineering degree, as well as other certifications and training, and he gets to do it all at a company along side his dad and trusted mentors. A pretty good decision!
So, instead of being true empty nesters, our youngest has chosen to stay at home. In a year of unpredictable changes, it's just another change to get used to! We are so proud of all of the kids. Making changes and shifting directions is all a part of life and so far all 3 of them have weathered the changes that 2020 has thrown at them just fine.
Mom on the other hand? I'm ok, but, Man, change can be hard!
1 comment:
Congratulations to HD! I think it is nice that HB1 is enjoying the seasons. I totally understand about his major and paying those fees when they can't provide what he needs. Wishing him well on his internship and hopefully in the future you can visit with him. Wishing HB2 a great experience with his apprenticeship and glad he is home with you. Yes you should be very proud of all of them. ((Hugs)) This is definitely a year of change and the challenge of Covid-19 has not been easy.
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