Summer Dreams

I realize summer just ended last week, but I find myself already making plans for next summer. Know what my biggest plan is? A trip east. I want to go “home”, to New England. I want to visit family and friends I haven’t seen in a while and I’m excited to show off my growing boys (who have not been “east” since they were 10 months old) and the newest member of our family (seeing as she will have arrived by summer).

See, we had intended to make the trip this past summer. Our hope is to make it east every other year, and this was supposed to be the “on” year. Early in 2010 though our savings account took hit after hit with medical bills (hernia surgery for Chase and an MRI for me) and car issues. We finally decided in May that, yes while we technically had the money for the trip this year it would put our account in a place we weren’t comfortable with, so we decided to put it off just one more year.

Those who are fairly new to my blog may not know this, but Nick and I live quite a distance from our families. My sister moved here (for a job) about 3 weeks before the boys were born, but that’s it for family nearby. The rest of them are mostly in Maine (my side) and Vermont (Nick’s side) with the rest scattered about New England.

I miss our family. I hate that the boys miss out on playing with cousins and don’t even know who some of their cousins are. My parents get out here 4 times a year on average and we Skype a lot, so the boys know them pretty well. My brother and his family have been here 3 times (two of them were on their way moving to or from Texas), so the boys kinda know who they are. They most remember my brother because he had a big beard at Christmas and the boys were fascinated with it. They kept calling him “Uncle Softbeard”. Cracked us up! My own grandparents have actually made the journey out here twice, but it’s been a while so I don’t think the boys know who they are.

Nick’s parents and younger brother and sister make it out once a year or so. We’ve tried Skyping with them, but always seem to have tech issues (most often they see and hear us, but we don’t see them). The boys have only met Nick’s sister’s family once – when we were in Vermont, when they were 10 months old. We have a picture on the fridge of their cousins, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot to them. Same with Nick’s grandparents – they’ve only seen the boys that one time we were in Vermont.

It’s hard. We had always talked about moving back east as whatever kids we had got older, but I just don’t see it happening any time soon. We both love it here! Nick loves his job, we love our church, the friends we’ve made and this part of the country. I hate that the boys don’t know some of their relatives. I’m thankful for technology and the way I’ve been able to keep family updated on what goes on (that’s the whole reason I started a blog), but technology can’t replace kisses and hugs. It also can’t help me out when I’m dying to drop the boys’ off at the grandparents’ house so that I can have a couple of hours to rest!

Can you tell I miss my family? Can you understand why it’s only September and I’m already starting to plot a road trip back east next summer?