Sunday, June 05, 2011

June 5

Just checking in at the beach party for a little small talk.

Right now, I'm far from New York...sitting in my brother in law's living room in Barrington, IL near Chicago.  We're here to celebrate my mother-in-law's 80th birthday.

Aaron and the girls drove out ahead of Joel and me...airfare for five was just too steep.  But Joel isn't finished with school yet and we had to make a quicker turn around on the trip.  I love traveling by car and would have enjoyed a bit of a road trip.  But at least we got lucky and our flights were on time (early actually) and NOT packed like sardines.  We'll see how it goes on the return trip.

Our realtor is holding an open house at our place while we are away.  We just dropped the price on the house by a painful amount and it will be interesting (perhaps excruciating) to see if we can now draw in any potential buyers.  I spent the last two days before we left town cleaning like a mad woman.  I'm sure that anyone who has ever sold a house can relate to what an enormous pain in the ass this process is.  For the moment, I'm glad to be far away from that reality.

We have a small family and live far from everyone.  We haven't seen Aaron's parents since this time last year.  In light of all the uncertainty we are living with, it's a comfort to be here and feel like part of a larger whole.  It's good to talk and laugh, recall times past and just be with people who are "mine".  When your family is spread out, you forget what a comfort it is to be among them.  I was actually dreading this trip a bit because these days I feel so fragile.  The problems aren't gone, but surrounded by these people, I feel bit more buffered from everything we've been dealing with.

The party is this afternoon, and there is so much to celebrate.  My inlaws  (and my mom) have made it to their 80's and they're all healthy and independent.  I feel almost childlike in wanting to be in the presence of the security of the previous generation.  I am aware of how lucky we are to still have them with us and I want to take this day and hold onto it with all my might.  It could all change in one unsuspected instant.  Boy, hasn't that lesson been rubbed in my face again, and again.  As I sit here writing, I clearly see my mission of this day...to let each of these dear people know how much they are loved, and how much their love means to me. 

Have a great week everyone...






5 comments:

Jon said...

It sounds like you're having a great time, Kat - - so blissfully far away from all the headaches of selling a house! I want to put my house back on the market very soon, but I'm dreading all of the stress that goes with it. I truly hope that we can both sell very soon......(is that asking for too much??)

Martha said...

So glad to see you at the beach party again this weekend!

Enjoy every second with the family. I know all to well how quickly things can change too.

Good luck with the house, hope it will sell quickly!. I'm still in the middle of renovations at both my house and my mothers. I'm so tired of living in a dusty construction zone surrounded with boxes and not knowing where anything is - it's maddening!

Have a great week Kat. See you next weekend at the beach :-)

Lisa :-] said...

What a Crappy (with a capital "c") time to be trying to sell a house. I hope that you can get it done without it being too much of a disaster!

My folks and my hubs' folks are all gone now... My mom outlived all of them, died in 2007 at 85. So I understand what you mean about being lucky to still have them. Not a bad idea to let them know...!

Welcome back to the ether, my friend. We are here for you.

threesidesofcrazy said...

Have a great trip and glad to meet you at the beach party.

kath said...

Hey! I just decided to check some blogs I haven't kept up with in a while and noticed your posts. Sorry to hear the move to NY didn't turn out the way you'd hoped. Where will you be heading once the house is sold?
Glad to see you're keeping up with your photos though. I'm sure it feels like therapy to get out there and take pictures.
Enjoy your time with family. It's so precious and it's wonderful that your whole family can be there with you.
Good Luck, and I look forward to seeing more posts!