Writer's World Wednesday - Travels

So...at the beginning of the year, my travel schedule for 2014 looked like this:

Beginning of May, Paris with my daughter
End of September, ACFW Conference in St. Louis
End of December through first part of January, Christmas in Georgia

Then, in early September, my son called to see if I wanted to come visit his work building which is normally a closed facility.  Um...YES!  (See last week's post for more details.) 

Then my daughter called to say she was getting baptized and planned to schedule it around a trip my husband and son were taking together to Washington State, and did I want to come, too?  Um...YES!

Then I went to visit my son and he announced that he was taking command in November, but my husband and I didn't need to come even though the timing would let us celebrate Thanksgiving with him.  Um...NO!  We will be there and be staying through the holiday.

I'm typing this from Sea-Tac airport having just finished the trip to see my daughter's baptism.  My parents and sister-in-law came, I got to spend a full day with my best friend whom I rarely get to see anymore, I got to experience a real mall complete with paying way too much for Teavana Pumpkin Spice Brulee tea (but...oh, it's just heaven in a cup), and I got to see my daughter be baptized by my husband.  I am one happy mommy right now.

Back in 2009, our family went through several major transitions.  My son graduated from college and began his army career (May), my daughter got married (July), we moved my in-laws out of our home and into assisted living care (August), my husband started his army career (September), sold a  house (October), and moved to Colorado to begin our new phase of life (December).  It was a whirlwind.

The biggest change, though, was letting go of the expectation that my kids would be geographically close enough to celebrate major holidays and life events.  The crazy thing was that the two of them ended up in Washington State for a few years while hubby and I were in Colorado.  Then my son's career moved him to Georgia and we were moved to Oklahoma.  Through it all, we have struggled to see each other even once a year. 

What an incredible blessing--despite the amount of money we are putting out for all this flying around the country--to be able to share so many experiences with my adult children this year. 

So...this has nothing to do with writing, but it has everything to do with my world.  I feel like we have turned a corner this year.  After five years, my family is beginning to figure out what it looks like to be an army family, a geographically separated family, and an extended family with/as in-laws.

Yay for us!

Until next time,
Becca