vacation!!!!
(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms)
When you read this, I will be on vacation in the Caribbean.
WITHOUT MY CHILDREN!
I am celebrating a ...ahem...milestone birthday. My significant other and I have planned a romantic week aboard a cruise ship...I am sure a few margaritas and a bottle of wine or two will be involved....not to mention, some "boring" trips to Mayan ruins and rum factories...
The doors of the cage have opened, and the songbird is flying free.
Funny how your life changes, isn't it?
Ten years ago, for the last milestone birthday, I took a trip to Walt Disney World with my daughters. Jen was 9 and Becca was 7 and I was...at a very different place in my life. As a single mother who "lost" her children on alternate weekends, I couldn't imagine taking a vacation or celebrating a birthday without my kids. Every moment with them seemed all the more precious. So songbird and her chickadees spent 5 glorious days spending money I couldn't really afford at the Polynesian Resort, swimming in the volcano pool, watching the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, breakfasting with Cinderella and dining with Mickey Mouse. It was a glorious birthday.
But when I thought about how I wanted to celebrate this milestone, I realized the WDW days with my daughters were gone....at 19 and 17, their lives are very busy, they've got school and friends and plans of their own. I'm sure if I said "Let's go," they would...but it's just not the same as when they were little.
Ten years ago they were children, now they are young women. And I am facing an empty nest.
When Jen was born I figured out that she would graduate from high school in 2008. Two years later, when Becca was born, I calculated that she'd graduate from high school in 2010....and in 1992, that seemed so far away. Now it's here....and the years have simply flown by.
[song cue here: Sunrise, Sunset. Overused, of course, but so accurate.]
I figured, I could either mourn my lost youth, cry over the fact that my children are growing up and cringe whenever anyone mentioned the passage of time...or I could embrace this next stage in my life, celebrate the milestone and enjoy this new-found freedom that comes with seeing your children go off on their own.
I choose to embrace the changes. Bring on the next stage of my life. I am looking for a new adventure.
When you read this, I will be on vacation in the Caribbean.
WITHOUT MY CHILDREN!
I am celebrating a ...ahem...milestone birthday. My significant other and I have planned a romantic week aboard a cruise ship...I am sure a few margaritas and a bottle of wine or two will be involved....not to mention, some "boring" trips to Mayan ruins and rum factories...
The doors of the cage have opened, and the songbird is flying free.
Funny how your life changes, isn't it?
Ten years ago, for the last milestone birthday, I took a trip to Walt Disney World with my daughters. Jen was 9 and Becca was 7 and I was...at a very different place in my life. As a single mother who "lost" her children on alternate weekends, I couldn't imagine taking a vacation or celebrating a birthday without my kids. Every moment with them seemed all the more precious. So songbird and her chickadees spent 5 glorious days spending money I couldn't really afford at the Polynesian Resort, swimming in the volcano pool, watching the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, breakfasting with Cinderella and dining with Mickey Mouse. It was a glorious birthday.
But when I thought about how I wanted to celebrate this milestone, I realized the WDW days with my daughters were gone....at 19 and 17, their lives are very busy, they've got school and friends and plans of their own. I'm sure if I said "Let's go," they would...but it's just not the same as when they were little.
Ten years ago they were children, now they are young women. And I am facing an empty nest.
When Jen was born I figured out that she would graduate from high school in 2008. Two years later, when Becca was born, I calculated that she'd graduate from high school in 2010....and in 1992, that seemed so far away. Now it's here....and the years have simply flown by.
[song cue here: Sunrise, Sunset. Overused, of course, but so accurate.]
I figured, I could either mourn my lost youth, cry over the fact that my children are growing up and cringe whenever anyone mentioned the passage of time...or I could embrace this next stage in my life, celebrate the milestone and enjoy this new-found freedom that comes with seeing your children go off on their own.
I choose to embrace the changes. Bring on the next stage of my life. I am looking for a new adventure.
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