No, no, no TTFN! My hubby and I are leaving on Thursday for Italy! Can anyone say, "woot"?
We travelled regularly and often until around nine years ago. That's when my mother-in-law became ill... with a malignant brain tumor, a glioblastoma, in fact. It was her death warrant. A part of Stan and I died with her.
C'mon below the fold and I'll tell you about it. I won't make it horrid and gruesome however. It's just a life story.
We travelled a lot, Stan and me. We were married to each other as "seconds" and had many obligations that we gladly met. He had two kids who needed college educations, I had no kids. So to me, those kids were my responsibility as well. So he and I did what parents do, we educated them. Our son is now a physician, our daughter a social worker for the state of California. They're good, and we also have two beautiful grandkids who are the wonders of the world. Smart, caring good kids. We're blessed.
Having said that, we got where we are the hard way.
Not long after our marriage my only sibling, my baby brother Matt, killed himself. He took my Dad's hunting rifle, put the end of it in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Matt was on the beach near where we now live and wrote a note and then, as I said above, killed himself with that gun. Matt was drug addicted, alcohol addicted and so very sad. He was just done. I've never gotten over it, I have gotten beyond it. There is a difference.
My husband's daughter gave us quite a scare... we ultimately had her admitted to a drug free program in Georgia, where we lived at the time. She is o.k. now and doing well.
Stan and I did a bit of traveling, amid all of this, trying to be normal and sane. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't.
Ultimately we moved to Oklahoma, to be near Stan's folks, his son and therefore the grandkids, and back home for him. I will tell you I hated Oklahoma. I'm an Easterner, I like tall trees, beaches, and pizza. I was a total misfit there.
Then my mother in law became ill with a glioblastoma. A death warrant. And it was. She was diagnosed and within six months she was dead. After her death I really wanted to come home, here, back East.
But Stan's Dad was not dead. He was lonely, confused and decided he would be with us, his "next of kin". And so he was. He moved in with us, and Stan and I learned to live with him and his "old people" stuff. He was with us for six years until August of 2009 when he passed, at age 92. He died in our home with Hospice helping him and us. He was here in NC with us at that time... we wanted to be here and Dad figured he would be in OK with Mom ultimately so... he didn't care. Though he made a lot of friends here.
We still have my Mom, age 89 turning 90 next month, and Dad, age 87 turning 88 in June to help and deal with. They don't live with us, but are five minutes away. They and all our close friends have a phone number for us in Italy so that we can be back in a heart beat. And if need be, we will.
In the meanwhile, I'm gonna miss y'all. My DKos friends and family. So, stay well and I'll see you in a few. I'll be back, not like that's a biggie, but I do care about you all and cannot wait to share Italy with you, and then get back into life stuff, and help each other along, as we do now, and will do.
Who the hell knew a blog, and the people who make it so special, would make me want to write a "see you in a few weeks" note?
But you, family and community, do. So, I'll see you in a few. And I will miss you until then.
Love to all,
Nan