Good-bye Club McD (sung to the tune of Good-bye Norma Jean)

Well, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and this certainly held true this past week. After 9+ years of living near my parents, they have finally cut the cord and left me and my boys. Okay, that was a little harsh. Actually what they did do is head south ahead of us to begin a new phase in their lives.

Growing up we never lived near grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. So for me, that was the norm. When I went to college I met a number of people who had lived in the same house their entire lives, and grew up seeing their extended family often. That was a foreign concept to me. So when I graduated from college, and ended up living far away from my family, I was sad, sure, but on the other hand, it seemed familiar.

So imagine my surprise when my dad called me at work 10 years ago. He asked me if I'd like my parents to come see me....Wow, I thought,that's great. I was the one who always flew home to see them, a visit from my parents would be wonderful. The following word out of my dad's mouth was..."permanently". BAM - oh my gosh, my dad's been fired, and he wants to come live with me. So, he wasn't fired, he got a promotion, they didn't live with me, but they did move near me.

I like to refer to the years between January '98 through July '07 as the "Golden Years". Originally, I would go over to my parents' house and spend the weekends there with them. They had good food and a pool - who wouldn't want to be there?

Allow me to interrupt this blog post to indulge you with a pictorial view of their backyard - the site of much merriment over the years and the place my mom loved - she loves her garden...





Finally, my dad said, "Cindy, we love you, but we aren't hiding any men in the air ducts of this house." Okay, I got the hint. Soon after that conversation, I was introduced to my future hubby, and a new phase of the "Golden Years" began - this time involving Chris, my family,good food, and the pool.

Sundays were generally reserved for dinner at my parents' house. We were always told that it was not a command performance however. If we had other plans, or stuff to do, we were not obligated to come. However, once the grandkids came on the scene, Mom & Dad were always a little more disappointed if we couldn't make it.

I got very used to having my parents just down the road from me. I know it's only been 3 days since they left the state, and that in only a little more than 6 weeks we'll be seeing them again, but it's still tough knowing that I won't be going over to their house tomorrow. I'm used to checking the weather forecast in the summer and seeing what the weather will be like on the weekend to determine if we should go over Saturday instead of Sunday so the kids can get some Grampa pool-time in. It hit me while watching the news this week, that I don't have to think about that now.

We spent our last Sunday with my parents and Kellie last week. We had a great time in the pool. We ate out on the deck one last time. Kellie and the big boys laid on the deck and looked at the stars (and then she got them all wound up!). Colin spent some time with Gramma. And everyone got teary when we left to go home.
So Mom & Dad - thanks for the memories. And we're looking forward to the new memories we'll be making with you down in Florida.