This past summer was a challenging one for me in many ways. I shared about some of my earlier difficulties in this post here. After experiencing torrential rainfall in our town and almost two feet of flooding in our basement, I can empathize to a small degree with the Houston flood victims. It’s tough and the drying out and rebuilding is very time-consuming.
My youngest daughter helping prime the new drywall.
Most recently, we had a couple of busy weeks taking three of our five children to college. Two are at the same school, Cedarville University in Ohio. So after packing the van from floor to ceiling with their dorm stuff, we drove the cram-packed vehicle five hours and dropped them off.
Twin #1 in her new dorm room at Cedarville University.
My oldest son is going into his junior year, so we barely had time to wave goodbye to him before he was off and running with his friends. My daughter (twin #1) is a new freshman, and we spent the weekend helping her get her room fixed up, running to Walmart for things we forgot to pack, and enjoying the time together (we won’t see her until Thanksgiving!).
My other daughter (twin #2) is also a new freshman but is going to school closer to home at Saginaw Valley State University. About a week after delivering our other two, we loaded up the van again and drove twin #2 down the road to help her move into her dorm. Fortunately, we’ll get to see her more often since she still has her job in town and plans to swing by on the weekends to do her laundry (for free!).
Twin #2 in her new dorm room at SVSU.
In the midst of packing and cleaning out bedrooms and saying goodbye to our kids, we also had to say goodbye to our beloved Golden Retriever, Annabelle. She’d been having trouble all summer with a poor appetite and loss of energy. We knew she was really sick when we said, “Go for a walk?” and she didn’t wag her tail and run all over the place like she usually did but instead barely lifted her head. After the vet ran tests and suspected cancer, we knew it was just a matter of time. Then when Annabelle stopped eating altogether, we realized we needed to say goodbye.
Celebrating Annabelle’s (Annie’s) birthday earlier in the year with a “dog bone” shaped cake!
With three of my children and Annabelle gone, my house is a bit quieter these days. Of course, I still have two teenagers at home (a 7th and 9th grader). And we still have five cats. So my life is definitely not boring!
But my house is feeling like a half empty nest. My chicks are flapping their wings and flying away. I’m excited for them and the adventures they’ll experience. But I’m also looking forward to a less hectic schedule (hopefully!) as well as more time and energy for the two chicks that still remain in the nest.
So that’s my summer! I’d love to hear about yours! Did it go the way you’d expected or did you find yourself experiencing things you hadn’t anticipated?
Jody Hedlund
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I’m looking ahead when my children will slowly start to leave home….when my oldest three are on college, I’ll still have a middle schooler at home…praying already for her teenage years when she’s all alone at home and the house is extremely quiet….she may have a harder time adjusting than me!
I remember well the day we dropped our daughter off at college four hours away. It was pouring down rain and we had so much to unload. With the rain it helped hide all my tears. That’s the only time we’ve been separated. She now lives across the street with her husband and our two grandkids!
My summer is not what I planned for sure. We moved my mother in with us back in January and we are now facing dementia with her. Some days are hard, some are sad, some are stressful but God is getting us through.
So sorry for your loss of Annabelle…:( It is so hard to say goodbye to our “fur babies!”) You’ve had a landmark summer/year!
My oldest daughter & I flew back to MN on 5/18 for a wedding on 5/20, then flew back to OH on 5/21.
I flew to Branson where I met family from all over the country, on 7/2; a nephew got married in St. Charles, MO on 7/8–I hitched a ride w/ a sister & BIL from Branson to St. Charles! My oldest daughter & her husband had driven to St. Charles for the wedding, & I rode back to OH w/ them…then back to work and life! 🙂
We enjoyed three fun trips this summer–a two-week mission trip to The Czech Republic, a long weekend to visit a girlfriend, and a trip to Atlanta to witness the eclipse and visit with many relatives. All those trips went well and were extremely special. However, we also experienced the horrendous flooding in the Houston, TX, area. Fortunately, my husband’s and my house did not flood, but his office did. We felt blessed to be able to work in a shelter at our church to help evacuees and to deliver groceries to elderly shut-ins. It’s been an unforgettable summer!
I’m so sorry for your loss.
My summer went as planned – I’m glad it wasnt too hot here!
Our summer changed when first grand child, a boy, arrived 3 weeks early. Hubby and I are moving from Virginia to South Carolina to be with son, daughter-in-love and baby Rowan. 🙂 God has plans for us. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your summer with us Jody. So sorry about your fur baby. My summer was not as planned. My cancer came back but this time I had a great surgeon in NYC. I had three infections but things are slowly getting better. I missed teaching VBS the most.
Oh I can empathize with your summer! We once made a cross-country move from North Carolina to Oregon. Our #2 son and #3 daughter stayed at the University of North Carolina, Raleigh, and our #1 son was dropped off at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. We ended up in Hillsboro Oregon with only children #4, #5 and #6. It was really hard on me as the Mom to lose half of my children at the same time! Then when we had trouble with our home sale, we couldn’t afford to bring them home for Christmas that year. That was a really hard time for me. But eventually, our kids visited, then graduated and came home for a few years before they married and scattered again. I learned to enjoy the children in our nest, as the nestlings came and went, until they strengthened their wings and finally flew off to nests of their own.
I have been blessed with travel this summer! From California to South Carolina with a cousin to celebrate my aunt’s 80th birthday. To Washington DC with my two oldest grandchildren to get an appreciation for what they are studying. To Minneapolis for a church women’s gathering on my own – and on to Mt. Rushmore as part of a tour. To Nashville with my husband so he could attend a meeting. To Las Vegas with a sister to visit our brother. And still to come a trip to Spokane, Washington. That is a lot of flight miles, but I have to admit that while it has been great fun, I am tired of all the travel. I never expected that would be something I would ever say!!
Hi Everyone!
Thank you all for sharing about your summers (and some of your similar life experiences). It’s so helpful and encouraging to hear your stories and to remember that we are all on difficult journeys. Praying for all of you to experience God’s peace in your situations.
Our summer went much faster than expected. With four kids, two sets of grandparents and various church activities on the calendar, I definitely enjoyed it. I think my favorite moments of summer were the little surprises God threw in along the way.