The Countdown Begins OR Wine, not Whining!

Pardon my absence over the summer. We’ve been a busy bunch around here, but school is back in session so things are starting to resume their regular rhythm and I should be able to get back here more regularly. I’ve missed my blog and I’m looking forward to making up for lost posts.

The start of the school year brings the start of a long lists of “lasts” at our table as The Girl’s last year of high school begins. Since she is the baby we have begun to check off the last school registration, the last band camp, the last musical audition, the last well, you get it, checking off the last of everything and since she’s 4 of 4 we are pretty happy about these “lasts”!

It seems that our jubilation (and my happy dance) are catching people off guard. Apparently it’s not what they expect from a mom who will soon see her last birdie leave the nest. They will often interrupt this dance which I refer to as my Senior Moment with their questions; “Aren’t you going to be sad?” “Won’t you miss this?” “What are you going to do with yourself when she’s done?” 

Let me take those questions in order: Um no. OH NO. and Do you want the list alphabetical or shall I just give you the top 10? Am I over simplifying it?

Maybe I’m missing something but from the time they were born I’ve never fooled myself into thinking that this season of lasts was not coming. I’ve always known that they were not mine to keep, rather they were given to me on loan to raise into good people. People with a place in the world and a purpose all their own, separate from mine. Over these past 28 years, I’ve done everything in my power to make sure they were as prepared as I could possibly make them. I love them and I’m proud of them and I’m happy to see them set out on the next phase of their lives and intrigued to see what they will be come! [resume Senior Moment]

For the last 23 years I’ve been an active parent, volunteering wherever needed in the school system, supporting their education, helping them to see the lessons in their failures and cheering their successes, and that will not stop no matter where in the world they go. At this moment in the process, I countdown the lasts and celebrate the actuality that we have been fortunate enough to see all four of our children through to the threshold of adulthood and I can’t wait to see what this one, or any of them for that matter, will do with her future! I feel that happy dance coming on!

As for what I will do after she’s done with high school? Well, for starters, she’s still going to be living IN our house for at least a couple more years. She’ll attend Jr. College first and then we’ll see what she does next. However, we know from experience that living at home and commuting to college doesn’t mean we’ll see much out of her. She’ll be home to sleep and maybe to eat from time to time, but this is her time to chase her interests and find her niche. We’re OK with that.

The Man and I, we are prepared! We have a long list of places we wish to go and things we wish to do when we don’t have a school function to attend or volunteer at. Yes, that list includes just staying home and working in the yard or watching TV! Yeah, that sounds really good right about now!  We’re slowing down and I’m A-Okay with that!

Just so everyone won’t worry so much about us, here’s a little peek at what’s on our list:

• We’ve recently become members at the Riverfront Museum. We used to enjoy going to the planetarium when we were dating and we are looking forward to date nights (or afternoons) star-gazing again. As a matter of fact they have Wine & Cheese Under the Stars events every now and again…THAT is on the list for sure!
• We want to take advantage of some of the dinner specials for our favorite restaurants. For instance Rizzi’s has a Tuesday night special, pizza and 2 glasses of wine for $20! Will be nice when we can up and take off on a Tuesday evening and knowing there’s nothing going on that night at the school! Imagine, dinner out on a TUESDAY!
• I recently discovered a used book store by the name of I Know You Like a Book. They stay open late on Thursday nights and they have found a way to combine my favorite thing (wine) with The Man’s favorite thing (used books). Genius! 
•  OK, at the risk of setting up an unintentional theme here, we can also spend more time at the C-Note Pub if we wish. No one under 21 allowed so it’s kid-free and they have the neatest atmosphere…and yes, wine and margaritas and martinis. But I promise there are other things on our list! Really there are…
• Let’s see…OH! Flea markets, garage sales, antiquing! These are all (sober) loves of ours and we look forward to the time we can take to the road at our whimsy on any weekend we want! 
• We hope to purchase an old tractor and restore it together. We’re a pretty good team that way. 
• Of course we already have 3 grandbabies and I’m sure there will be more. They are an endless source of fun and activity! 

My point is we will not be bored and I’m looking forward to resuming a husband/wife relationship with my hubby, to pick up our courtship and carry forward into whatever the future holds. This does not mean that we will want to be together every waking moment either. We’ve been married for 30 years and we both know that would be a recipe for disaster. We have many shared interests and we work well together as a team toward a common goal, but we have our differences, and individual tastes and where those are concerned we’ve learned to live and let be.

Does this mean we will not worry about the children? No, I do not think that is possible. The reality is that there will always be something going on in one of their lives that will cause us to worry about them or grieve with them. We’re connected that way through the bonds of family, but we will rejoice with them and applaud their milestones too! I will shed tears of pride and joy as The Girl graduates. Though we may be counting down the “lasts” we are so very much in the beginnings of something that can be really incredible if we let it be.