We have finally arrived at the point where our Tennessee life has moved actively into transition mode as we get ready for our departure for Oregon.
The grandkids have finished school in Tennessee and are on summer break. Our grandson has been in Massachusetts the past few weeks, spending time with Meiling and WenYu. He will be going for a week of camp in Florida later in the month. K is currently attending a full-day summer camp in Nashville, and will go to Florida as well with our son and DIL for their own vacation while C is in camp. They also have several other plans to round out the summer, including a western national park road trip. We were going to have K with us for one last week toward the end of July but our DIL’s parents are coming to visit from Japan and she will stay with them instead. We’ll be keeping their dog with us for the week they’re in Florida, but that will be the last of our grandparent duties.
We have no more school pickups and other schedules to maintain now. Brett no longer has to drive over to C’s school every afternoon, and we don’t have K here every afternoon like we did before. And yes, we miss her. At the end of this month our daughter-in-law will move into her new apartment in downtown Nashville and Brett and I will truly be out here on our own.
Brett and I enjoy each other’s company and always have lots to talk about. We’re pretty much always on the same page about everything, and know how to work through any differences that pop up. We are enjoying sleeping in, not having to buy and keep snacks available for others, not having the TV on in the afternoon, and living on our own schedules for a change. However, this transition is already a bittersweet one. We have loved having our grandchildren and daughter-in-law close by, and we’ve seen our son far more as well than we did for all the years they were living in Japan. Life is going to feel very empty for a while without them so close.
It’s (almost) hard for us to believe that our time in Tennessee is coming to a close. We came for two years and ended up spending four years here, and time has seemed to drag for the most part. While we will miss our family we will not miss living here. Tennessee is a beautiful state in many, many ways but it has never suited us: the weather, the politics, and other things have not been a good fit. Being tied down to a place has also been difficult at times after our years of travel.
All things change though, and we’re looking forward to new challenges at the end of the summer, and living out west again.
Big changes always bring a mix of feelings for me. It’s really wonderful that you have had this time with your grandkids at such an important part of their lives. My parents spent a lot of time with our kids when they were young, and those are memories that everyone treasures. And it’s a real gift to have a good marriage at this time of life. I never take that for granted. Onward and upward! 🙂
I am SO thrilled to find your not-so new blog! Have been a reader since you were living on Kauai and your daughters were in highschool! Missed your posts so am very happy to follow your upcoming transition back to the PNW!
I am so glad you’re here! I didn’t know when I closed The Occasional Nomads whether I’d feel like blogging again, but a new blog and only one post per week feels really good now – there’s no pressure like I felt before. I wish though I had done a better job of getting out the word to my ON readers but I’m happy people are finding me again!
We are really going to miss our daughter-in-law and the grandkids, more than I think we realize now. I feel weepy whenever I think about them being gone next month. We’ll be busy, but it just won’t be the same here. I’m going to take it as a good time to settle into being on our own once again.
I was told when I started dating Brett that a) he was always going to leave me; and then b) he’d never marry me. So much for predictions!
My goodness I cannot believe you’re reaching this next step. The time really has flown. These years you gave your grandchildren are priceless, and I am really amazed at how you guys did it 🙂 Cannot wait for new adventures for you all.
Thanks! We are SO READY to go and excited about what’s coming next. Lots of unknowns still but things keep falling into place so fingers crossed the next few months all go well.