Empty Nest

I am sure that while we were raising the three boys, if someone had asked Michael and I if we thought we would suffer from "empty nest" when the boys were grown we would have answered with a very loud, absolutely not!! But guess what, this is not the case. Michael and I spent a romantic night at Castle Creek Inn, a bed and breakfast Inn, in Sandy this past Saturday night. We had a wonderful time but arrived home on Sunday to a home that is feeling a little empty at times. Brandon, of course has married and moved out and Tyler is on a business trip in Dallas this week, he will be back on Thursday evening so Justin was the only one at home. It is great to spend some one on one time with Justin but I will admit it makes me a little sad for the old days. I think Michael summed it up best....:Where did the time go??" It seems like only yesterday that we were in the midst of raising three little boys, complete with big wheels, matchbox cars and legos that we were constantly stepping on. Don't get me wrong....I love the fact that we are at the point in our lives that we can once again spend time together, sometimes away from the boys but we sometimes miss the chaos and energy that went into raising the boys. Michael and I are discovering that life without young children is a whole different ballgame. With adult children, or almost adult children you are always trying to figure out where you fit into the new scheme of things. How often do you call the newlyweds? How do you stay involved in the life of your almost 20 year old? They don't really need to be parented but you are still a parent. Michael and I are learning and I am sure we will continue to learn. We love the life we are living at the moment and enjoying this new stage of your lives, the almost empty nest. We are all healthy and happy and isn't that what matters.