Just Big

Here's a pciture of Carlee and Bryan about a week before Bodie was born. The look on Bryan's face says it all. It is hard to imagine that a body can stretch out that far, but there it is...

The time I spent with them was precious. It proved to me that what I thought might be true when I moved away to Colorado, is true. And...that is when you live far away and you come and stay with your kids, (or they come to you) the time spent together can be so much more intimate and intense, a result not only of the quality but the quantity of time spent together.

I was always a little bit jealous of Jill when she and their family would come into town. They were all able to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad because they got to stay overnight with them. When I left home, even though I lived close to Mom and Dad, I never spent the night with them or really got to know them well as they matured and aged. I guess it is the result of spending just a few hours together at a time for birthdays and holidays. At Mom's funeral I learned more about her adult life than I ever knew. People shared stories about her and I realized that I had only known a tiny piece of who she was after I had become an adult. It made me sad. I don't want my kids to feel that way at my funeral.

So...all that to say that I believe I can still be the grandma I had hoped to be, even though I am miles away. It just looks a little different. (OK..so maybe I am trying to convince myself, help me out here!)

I am so proud of Carlee and Bryan and the family they have created. Their business seems to be holding up under this market downturn and they work very hard every day. Bryan just finished his first CD. He and his friends Erik and Donny are the PseduoRebels. Way cool - check them out online.

Just before I left for Denver I took this picture on their couch. Bodie is 12 days old. Bryson wasn't very happy since he was watching a CD and we made him pause it to take the picture. What a gorgeous group of people. I mean it! (That's a direct quote from Great Grandpa Darol!)