Family

If you live within an afternoon's drive of your family - give a little thanks today. If you can pick up and drive to see them in a few hours for birthdays, graduations, holidays, or just Sunday dinners, be thankful. While we have been blessed with such a wonderful St. Louis "family" - friends who we can call at 4 am to pick us up from a party or 4pm to help us move a piece of furniture or give up their Saturday to help us move several pieces of furniture (thanks Glenn!!) or just come over anytime for dinner or go to a play, a movie, or grab a drink/some food - it's still hard to miss your real family sometimes.
It was so nice to have my mom here this past week to really get to spend some time together - normally when we're in Florida we're so rushed and so stressed we hardly get to see anyone, much less spend any "quality" time together. We sort of plan out everything and then run here and there and are always thinking of the long drive home, the lack of sleep, how we don't really get to see anyone at all. But this past week Mommy and I got to play in the yard and talk and talk and talk - about all sorts of things that mothers and their grown daughters talk about. It was nice to catch up and spend some time together without the stresses of the rest of life around. But then when she left and got on the plane it made me realize (for the 639th time) how really far away they all are.
Our nephew (our only one, while we have FOUR nieces now!) turns two this Friday and boy would we give anything to be there for his birthday (and for all the other birthday's we'll miss this year). Not only does he have a rockin' party planned (they rented a huge slip-n-slide from my understanding - how fun!) but it would just be cool to see him celebrate with everyone and see him eat cake and slide and enjoy his birthday. But for now at least, we resign ourselves to enjoying our lives here and living off the support of our St. Louis "family." Right now in our lives, while the sacrifices being so far from family are high, the benefits of living here outweighs the sacrifices. Right now we the pros of our life here outweigh the cons of being away from family, living in Missouri and dealing with the cold (I just had to add that part since I HATE the cold). Will it always be like that? Who knows. But for right now, everyone who doesn't have to face that feeling of watching a parent get on a plane or drive off from your front yard knowing that you won't see them again for months, knowing you can't just run to them when you have a problem, be thankful - it's quite a blessing. I know one of the hardest things in the world has to be watching your kid leave (my poor mom has had to watch me leave so many times moving to different places that I figured she would kill me by now for all that torment), but a close second must be to watch your parent leave. So thanks parents, we miss you all and we're thankful you're only 13 hours by car instead of by plane. :)