The Eye of the Storm

Yesterday I was on vacation with my family.  Tomorrow I will be taking both of my kids to college.  Today, by all accounts is a normal Sunday.  I woke up early, went to church.  I came home, ate the first thing I saw in the refrigerator, and promptly took a nap.  I woke up disoriented, not sure if it was Monday morning, or if I had over slept for church.  Now, I'm hungry for dinner and wishing that the kitchen fairy would show up and make me something fabulous.

It feels like I am sitting here in the eye of the storm, the calm moment sandwiched in between two big events.   The past two days were a whirlwind of fun and excitement.  We explored the island of Kauai with great enthusiasm, hardly coming up for air.  It was pretty much non-stop action.  We saw beautiful sites, played in the pool, and swam in the ocean.  We ate fabulous food, and had a great time.

This was the first family trip we have taken in a long time.  The last time we left the island together was 6 years ago, for my mother's wedding.   A trip, just for fun, was long over due.  It's easy to live in the moment during a trip.  I guess that's the point of going on vacation, to leave your cares behind and enjoy just what you are doing right then and there.  No wonder the family vacation is such a part of our culture.  We should have tried it sooner :).

 I had no idea, but there is this amazing, Grand Canyon like site on Kauai.  It is Waimea Canyon, on the west side.  The drive up there was long, and winding, and did I mention long? and winding?  After hearing protests from the back seat of motion sickness, and my own rising sense of panic and queasiness, I cried, "uncle", about 2 minutes before we reached the top.  Thankfully the driver didn't listen to me!  That was a good lesson for me about not giving up too soon, etc, etc.  Anyway ... see for yourself, the view was breathtaking!! 

It's kind of hard to believe that all of these photos were taken on one island, only 33 miles wide and 25 miles long.  It was cold and wet at the top of the Canyon, warm and sunny at the beach.  When the river boat stopped at the Fern Grotto, it was down right hot.

... and today is, well, just plain old, normal.  Which is good.  Normal can be a very good thing.

Tomorrow both of my kids are packing up, and heading off to college.  Not unlike the vacation, it will be a day full of excitement and activity.  There will also be a couple of long drives, and maybe even a stop at the beach :).

And after tomorrow ...  normal will be reset.

It's Been a Week

My boy is gone. He is grown and off to college. Life has changed, and I am adjusting. I was excited for him, and sad for me when I drove him up to Laie and moved him into his dorm last Saturday. It has been a dynamic week. I'm not sad anymore. I miss him, would like to see his happy face sitting in the green chair watching King of the Hill, but I'm not sad. I am really happy for him, and grateful.

Our fridge is full of left overs that will never be eaten - unless I give them to the dogs. I am not sure how to adjust all the standard family recipes to be for 1 less person. How do you make tacos for 3? Ground beef doesn't come in 3/4 pound packages, and what am I going to do with 1/4 of a can of black beans? I have WAY too much chili in a zip lock that I am pretty sure will go straight to the trash in a few days.

Chester and Charlie look disappointed when they push their way in his room and find it empty. Chester vented his feelings by peeing in there the other day. I wonder what that meant exactly - "Dang it Ryker, you jerk, where are you?" or "Now that you are gone, I claim this space for myself!" Poor puppy doesn't understand.

Today in church when they released the priesthood to sit with their families, I started to slide over and make room. So much of parenting is automatic like that. If I should wake up in the middle of the night, my routine is to check on everyone, kids, dogs, and make sure all are as they should be. Now I do a mental check when I come to his door - Laie - check.

Ryker is exactly where he needs to be, doing exactly what he should. He is happy, and excited, and I love that. I am so grateful that he has this opportunity to be there this year. It is a good place. Spending some time on campus this week was great. It is a good school, with good people. The classes are small and the Spirit is strong. What a great environment for learning and preparing for his mission.