My immediate family lives in Alaska. We don't get to see them very often. Even when we were living in Fairbanks, we saw them only about three times a year - if we were lucky. The only family member I see regularly is Dad, and that's only because he typically spends his summers on the farm.
I'm jealous of all the fun things my sisters and Mom get to do together. I'm sad that my boys don't get to play with their cousins very often. I wish Robinson and I could play lots of fun games with my teenage nephew, Josh. We miss out on holidays and Alaskan summers and birthday dinners. (To be fair, we miss out on all of these things with Robinson's family, too.)
We were supposed to take Joshua to Niagara Falls this summer. Then Dad (as he unintentionally does) hijacked the trip and because of Arthur's school schedule (tacking on four extra snow days at the end of the year) and Robinson's work schedule (big, stressful project) we couldn't go. Then Mom and Joshua arrived and spent the weekend with us and then were whisked away to the farm.
Then Becky arrived with her girls. We didn't think we'd get to see them at all. Then the farm's water pump broke. Might take a while to fix, the guy said, so Robinson drove up to the farm on a Thursday night to retrieve Mom and Josh. A dry house with two kids and four adults is stressful. Having lived with a 1000-gallon water tank for five years and running out of water multiple times, I'm familiar with the situation. We assumed we were being helpful. Dad thought we were outrageously ridiculous.
Secretly, though, I was pleased that Mom and Josh were staying with us. I felt that the Universe was on my side. We had a blast. We played games and went shopping. We made decadent no-bake cookies and delicious dinners. We went swimming. Robinson and I went on a date. When Dad came to take Josh back to the farm, Josh didn't want to leave. Mom stayed behind for another week. We went to Pilates and played with the boys. She took the bus down to Kansas a few days early to visit her sisters. (She had already been to Niagara Falls and was uninterested in seeing it again.) Mom has a tendency to talk non-stop about work. While she stayed with us, she hardly talked about work. I wonder if this is a sign that's she's more interested in retiring.
We only got to see Becky and her girls for a day, which was really too bad. Last year, the kids were on the farm together for about a month and they played together so well. Arthur speaks of Molly often. Arthur loves to boss Molly around and usually finds a more willing participant than his younger brother.
As with all family visits, the exhaustion sets in after everyone leaves. No rest for the weary. My middle sister arrives next week...
Blessed be.
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