Scenic Snoqualmie Pass
#8. I will participate in at least 3 family
reunions.).
This post is an update to: Making A Bucket List (posted Monday,
February 11, 2013 http://www.being50.com/2013/02/making-bucket-list.html ).
There are a number of things that I am committed to, amongst the
top 3 on my list, is family. I won’t
give it a definitive number because the other two are equally important. It takes a core of things to make your life
stable, and my three are what makes me who and what I am. Since I no longer have my parents, and my
wife was my support system when I did have them, it’s time to return the
favor. I love nothing more than to take
my wife to visit her mother and family.
I honestly feel closer than just an in-law with her side of the family.
This year we made more trips to visit her family than we ever
have in years past. The trip is normally
a six hour roundtrip effort, but lately because of road construction over the
mountain pass it has become more like a ten hour roundtrip challenge. Our planning starts out by committing to
making the visits, and it has been as simple as deciding on Saturday that we
will travel on Sunday.
This year August and September were great months for family a get-together. During August we had an impromptu get-together
at my mother-in-laws house. Whenever we
give them enough notice that we are coming, everyone in the family gets
notified and they all show up. While it
is a great time to see everyone, it’s also a time to realize how fast time goes
by. People that are now thirty, were
being baby sat by my wife, not that long ago.
Those of you that follow my Blog know that I don’t mention names, so I
won’t here either. The family unit is
very important, because if times get tough as it does sooner or later, you can
simply circle the wagons, and survive with your self-sufficient built in
support system.
During the month of August we also had a get-together at my
first born son’s house also normally a ten hour roundtrip drive but also affected
by road construction at the mountain pass. While a very nice scenic drive, it
is best enjoyed at 70 miles per hour, and not in stop and go traffic. My son is an excellent chef especially when
it comes to grilling BBQ steaks. We had
a great time visiting with kids (grand children) that were getting ready to
return to college (medical field), and even making new friends (semi-retired
from the work force now concentrating in his love for art). My son was in recovery from recent surgery so
the visit had extra special meaning.
Within the last couple of days my first born daughter and I returned
from a family reunion in Southern California.
We both had a great time moving around the gathering catching up with
everyone that attended. The get-together
was so large that I felt compelled to ask for everybody’s attention at the
dinner table and ask if anyone was threatened with bodily harm if they didn’t
attend. They all reacted with laughter,
and some responded that not only where they there willingly but that they even prepared
a favorite meal to share. Once again I
couldn’t help but notice how quickly everyone is growing up, and realizing their
dreams. Amongst the professions
represented: An Airline Attendant for ten years, a Registered Nurse for about eight
years, a rock star, lead singer with a popular rock band, project manager,
construction worker, and there are the up and comers working their way up (some
of the just mentioned successes started out with In & Out Burger not that
long ago).One of my favorite aunts couldn’t attend because she had just returned from a mini vacation so we surprised her by showing up at her work. She let out such a big scream when she saw me that she scared the people she was dealing with at the time. I love all my family members from the most recent arrivals to my step mother who is now 80 years old loves me so much that it makes me feel bad for all my brothers and sisters. I don’t think she loves me because I am so great, I believe that 65% of that love is because I remind her so much of my father, whom she loves very much (he passed away 11 years ago).
See other posting related to this trip: Guilty Pleasure
(http://www.being50.com/2013/09/guilty-pleasure.html , Guilty Pleasure 2 (http://www.being50.com/2013/09/guilty-pleasures-2.html , Our Place in Life http://www.being50.com/2013/09/our-place-in-life.html ). The best is yet to come…
No comments:
Post a Comment