Separations

Another summer has slipped by and as always, I hate to see it nearing an end. Summer has always been my favorite time of year. Yes, I know it's hot, but when my kids were in school, it was the only time of year that we could relax and spend truly leisure time together. There were no uniforms to wash, no homework to get done, no scheduled activities like basketball games, scouts, band practice. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the activities my kids participated in, but I also enjoyed the downtime of summer.

And now, the end of summer marks an even more profound time as my daughter prepares to return to New York for her junior year of college. I have so enjoyed our time together and I will miss her terribly. You'd think by now, I would be used to the separations from those I love so dearly. And although it is a tiny bit easier than it used to be, the sadness envelopes me nonetheless.

One consolation, Mike will be coming to visit on August 26th. He's staying nearly a week this time so I will wrap myself in his arms for comfort. Then, alone again.

At least the next 2 months will be incredibly busy as my chorus prepares for International competition in Nashville in October. Mike will be there too. It's so amazing to have a supportive partner.

I know many of you are in the process of sending your kids off to school, some for the first time, be it first grade or freshman year of college. Some of you are becoming empty nesters. As someone who has been doing this long-distance thing as both a parent and a partner, take my advice, stay busy and surround yourself with friends. And start counting the days until Thanksgiving!

Another Summer Ends

I can't believe another summer has slipped away. If I haven't mentioned this before, summer is my favorite time of year. I love it for so many reasons. When my kid's were young and I was a stay-at-home mom, it was the time of fun and leisure. Washing uniforms, packing lunches, and rushing to practices and activities was replaced by fun days at the park and trips to the library for summer reading. Every summer we would travel to Florida for adventures with the grandparents and sunny days on the beach. For my taste, summer just can't be beat. Even though my kids are grown, I still love the summer and I'm always sad to see it end.

You may be wondering what this has to do with a long-distance relationship and the answer is - nothing really. It just has to do with where my head is right now as the calendar ushers in another Fall.

My personal challenge now is to change gears and appreciate all the positive things the Fall has to offer. Football season leaps to mind. In fact, today, Mike is attending the draft for his Fantasy Football team. I really wish I could be there with him but it's not to be. I'm hoping to go to Denver some time this season to help him host a Monday night game though. I'll keep you posted on that.

Enjoy your holiday today. Until next time!

Back in Time

This blogging process is taking a little longer than I had hoped so I am going to speed the story line a bit. I will add details in future posts if they are relevant to the present.

In light of the escalated story, it's time to take a step back for a little more background. Mike, Paul and I became pretty good friends during the school year '74-'75. Mike was crowned Homecoming King while I sat with his sister and watched and mooned (does that word still mean the same thing these days?).
Mike's sister, who was a sophomore, and I played basketball together but I never spoke of my crush on her brother. Mike and I continued to study Chemistry together and continued to have profound and heartfelt discussions. Still, he didn't ask me out and still, I just smiled and resigned myself to being his friend and confidante. Mike and Paul graduated in May of '75. Paul and I kept in touch over the summer but I didn't see Mike before he left for college.

Then in the summer of '77, I was living in an apartment off-campus and lo and behold Mike came back into my life. I stayed in Florida to go to college and I didn't live too far from our hometown. Paul and Mike would come to see me and we would go to soccer games and discos (remember those?). At the time, I was too self-conscious to enjoy dancing (although I had 13 years of ballet training) but I would have gone anywhere with Mike. The drinking age was 18 back then so we all did our share of partying. I wouldn't call it dating because we were always with a group but Mike and I got closer than I could have ever dreamed. Then he left for college and dropped out of my life once more.