Family – Page 5

Never in a million.

Posted on November 20, 2019November 22, 2019 by kokomeau

I have three adult kids. My oldest is married and lives in Oklahoma with his wife and three kids, current ages five, seven, and nine; girl, girl, boy, respectively. I try and see them at least once a year; more if they travel to wherever I am. He’s a geophysicist working in the natural gas field, so he isn’t leaving OK anytime soon.

My second is my only daughter, a pediatric cardio echo-tech who loves children, travel, and family, not necessarily in that order. Because she is single, she has been able to travel quite a bit, primarily through three-month travel gigs around the country, but also internationally, since she has no qualms about traveling solo. She’s my gypsy, my independent free spirit, and (finally!) my friend.

My last child is my youngest son, pretty much a gift to me as he’s five years behind his sister. He is married with two beautiful daughters.

They’re all really cool people. They’re tons-o-fun, and I like them all lot, including their spouses. I’m not being facetious. I really like these people, and I’m very grateful for that. Heaven knows I have friends who still have a difficult relationship with at least one of their offspring. I’m lucky, and I know it.

What I never dreamed in a million years was that any of my kids would ever live near me. I knew full well that leaving Michigan would mean having to travel to see my kids and grandkids. I was prepared for that. But once again God smiled down on me, and at this point in time, two out of three of them live nearby. My youngest and his family are within 10 minutes of us, while my daughter is just a little over an hour away and comes often for visits, usually bringing her wonderful cousin with her.

For so many years I would hear friends talk about what they did with their kids over the weekends, and I would always say how lucky they were to have them near. Now I’m the lucky one, and I would never have believed it. Never in a MILLION!

Family, Moving forward

Was it worth it?

Posted on November 19, 2019December 1, 2019 by kokomeau

When I moved to Florida in 2011, I knew I was leaving the familiar behind. That familiar consisted of my huge family that lived predominately within 90 minutes of each other in northern Michigan along with the friends I’d made over 27 years. I didn’t feel like I had a choice to make. Life had gotten progressively more difficult with the death of my dad, my divorce, the closing of my shop and then losing my home. I needed to start over, away from it all.

My prior knowledge of Florida consisted of small vay-kays visiting my folks as they wintered on the Gulf. While it was a great place to visit, I never imagined living there. The beach was beautiful, but if you didn’t actually live on it, it was hard to get to. I didn’t care for the landscape of highrise after highrise.

Cue Florida. Palm Coast, to be exact. Divine Providence led me here to this small planned community in northeast Florida on the Atlantic Ocean. 30 years ago, this place never existed. Now it’s a beautifully planned “Tree City” nestled between St. Augustine (the oldest city in America) and Daytona Beach, “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” with my own little throwback gem of Flagler Beach just minutes away.

I knew the trade-off. I knew what I was leaving. Certainly people would come visit. Who doesn’t love a place to stay in warm weather when you live in the snow belt? And we did get visitors, and it was wonderful. The years went by, and I grew to really love the area. My life changed in more ways than one, and over the course of the last couple of years, God has smiled down on me and brought not only my life partner, but two out of three of my kids to live nearby.

I hear people ask when is it their turn, or when will I catch a break, but the truth is you kind of have to just pray for guidance, pray for patience, and pray that you listen well enough to hear. That’s not always easy. Our timing is our timing. What seems like years is just a blink in the scheme of things. Waiting is so hard. Wishing seems fruitless. The old adage, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade,” should read, “When life hands you lemons, make a lemon-tini, and don’t forget to laugh.”

Was it all worth it? Was leaving everything I held dear to my heart worth it? I still have wonderful memories that I share with those that helped make them. I realize that nothing stays the same. But nothing worth having comes easy, and while the life-changing events that led to my move were anything but easy, I will say it was all worth it. Our past leads us to where we are. Everything endured influences who we are today. Would I change anything? Most definitely. But I believe even with that, I would have ended up with my David, my kids and grandkids nearby, in this beautiful little slice of heaven.

Family

Am I lucky or wot?

Posted on November 18, 2019November 18, 2019 by kokomeau

That’s a line my 92-yo mother loves to use in nearly every email (yes, email) she sends out. She’s as cute as she can be, still using her computer for email and bridge. When she plays computer bridge, there’s a gentleman’s voice that will come on after a game and tell her ‘Good job!’ to which she will reply, ‘Thank you!’.

She’s coming to spend the winter with us, and I couldn’t be more excited. Any time I can spend with this woman is precious to me. As I’ve said in earlier posts, I’m the third of 11 children; eight boys and three girls. There wasn’t any ‘Mom and me’ time for any of us growing up, and so to have her all to myself for months at a time makes me happy and so grateful.

I’ve had her with me in prior years. She’s a blessing to be around; always cheerful, never demanding, she just rolls with the flow, saying, “Just tell me where you want me to go.” She sleeps late, then thoroughly enjoys her first cuppa coffee in the morning, always claiming, “Nectar of the gods!” with her first sip. She’ll finally get dressed, make her way to her favorite seat, either inside or out, maybe do a crossword puzzle, and then read Danielle Steele to her heart’s content. After dinner and some TV (preferably Downton Abbey) she’ll tell us good night and “God bless you,” something she has said to us since the beginning of time. She’ll make her way to her bedroom where, after getting ready for bed, she’ll check her email, play some computer bridge until she gets sleepy, then go to bed.

I know I won’t have many more opportunities like this. I’m glad I’m not working full time any longer. I’m glad she wants to come. I know we’ll get other northerners down to visit her, and we’ve got a couple of her grandkids and great-grandkids nearby.

Are we lucky or WOT!?

Childhood, Family

A Rite of Passage

Posted on November 18, 2019November 18, 2019 by kokomeau

When we were kids living in an old farmhouse in Rochester, Michigan, there was a tree way out in the back yard with a rope swing in it. It was the perfect rope swing. The rope was thick; probably not as thick as I remember, but holding it in my smaller hands, it was the perfect size to get a tight, two-fisted grasp around it that included elbows. The knot on the bottom was wide enough to accommodate both butt cheeks, but you could still lock your knees and legs around it for dear life. Picture someone trying to climb a rope, and that’s the form we seemed to take when we would first attempt the swing.

I’m third of 11 kids. I have an older brother and sister, and then a whole bunch of boys follow with another little girl thrown in for good measure. I was probably nine or 10 before I worked up the gumption to finally climb into the crotch of that tree and sidle out the thick limb that had the bark worn off from bottom after bottom sliding off into the air. I can still feel the trembling and the panic in my heart as I sat there terrified I would fall off waiting for someone to toss me the knot, praying I would catch it with my feet. Then, God help me, I had to pull my knees up and reach for the rope, all the while balancing and shaking like the leaves around me!

To their credit, my siblings were pretty good about urging me on, telling me I could do it. Looking back, they probably just wanted me to hurry up so they’d have a turn. I’d certainly been in that position before and not gone, so kudos to them for what I took for encouragement.

But that first time … Honestly, I can still feel my butt slowly slide off the branch while holding onto that rope like a baby chimp to it’s mother, my hair flying, hoping I wouldn’t swing back and hit the tree (never!), listening to the cheers of my brothers and sister. Heart pounding, a wide grin on my face, I savored my first flight down and out over the septic field, back and forth, finally slowing down and relaxing enough to trust my legs to hold me when I jumped off.

It was certainly a right of passage, an unquestionable confidence builder that perhaps led to my love of flying!

Family

Amelia Joy

Posted on October 10, 2019November 18, 2019 by kokomeau

October 3rd, 2019, @ 1:41pm, weighing in at 9#4oz, Amelia Joy joins her sister Audrey, adding a plus-one to the Kevanna household.

And she is a joy. She’s only a week old, but already she’s captured this heart and the hearts of her little family, including Cleo pup, who now has another charge.

Five grandkids. How is that even possible.

Family, Travel

Ireland, 2018

Posted on March 26, 2018December 21, 2023 by kokomeau

I was invited to ‘granny nanny’ my 18-month-old granddaughter Audrey with her parents on their trip to Ireland in March of 2018. I couldn’t believe it, but they said they wanted me to, and since they were footing the majority of the cost, what could I say but “YES!!!”

Kevin and Savanna had been there before, and Savanna is super organized, so with her in charge, we met in Chicago then flew together to Dublin to spend the next eight days traveling to Belfast, back to Dublin to catch the train to Killarney for a few days, then back to Dublin and home.

Even though March perhaps isn’t the perfect time to go, it was, nonetheless, unbelievably beautiful and truly beyond what I had ever hoped for. Audrey was a champ, a real pleasure to travel with, Kevin drove on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road like he’d been born to it (must be in that Irish blood), and Savanna had us all on schedule. I don’t know how she did it, but it was a wonderful trip, an amazing memory, and I want to do it again as soon as possible!

12/21/2023 UPDATE!!! I am going again! I am going next summer for three weeks from May to June with some of my grown kids and grands!! I will definitely blog further! Oh, I cannot WAIT!

Family, Mom, Randomness

My Family. My Clan.

Posted on January 8, 2017 by kokomeau

When I say my Family, I mean my growing-up family, my parents and my 10 siblings. Maybe there needs to be a name for that since, when I speak of ‘my family,’ people typically think I’m speaking of my own kids. But it could also mean the whole Clan which would include upwards of 85 people.

At the beginning of January 2017, my siblings, spouses and I gathered at Reed Ranch in northern Michigan with our mother to celebrate her 90th birthday and spend time together over a long weekend. We rented two lodges within walking distance of each other, and we were lucky enough to spend some wonderful quality time together. For me it was memorable because, living in Florida, I don’t get to see them as much as I used to. I was able to spend quiet time with my older brother Chuck as we drove together to our destination. I realized how much I miss him; he’s a great guy. I had a blast with my sisters Kathleen and Molly playing cards and laughing. I enjoyed watching Pat ice fishing on Lake David. I got a kick out of Kevin’s cold-weather gear with his long coat and Russian-style hat. I was entertained by Brian’s witty responses to discussions held around the fire. It’s always special seeing Terry because he always reminds me of Dad. Sean and his quiet demeanor always surprises with his humor, and Mike’s sweetness and off-beat funny side adds so much to the mix. Danny didn’t make it, unfortunately, and missed out on making memories with mom and the rest of us. And mom was in rare form, thoroughly enjoying having her kids around her, rising mid- to late-morning to that first cup of coffee (“The nectar of the gods!), coming out with her cane to dance to ‘All About That Bass,” playing the piano while we sang along, being thrilled with the amazing birthday memories made into books and posters. Meals were made and shared, stories were told, and laughter abounded.

It was wonderful going back to the Katy Lee lodge and sitting around the beautiful fireplace that brought back so many childhood memories, sipping that late-night toddy along with Chucky, Kevin, Brian and Laurie, Sean and Cathy. There’s an indescribable sense of belonging in a clan like ours that I’m not sure everyone has in smaller families. Oftentimes new members tend to shy away or get nervous about attempting to penetrate this crowd, but repeatedly we’re told how accepted they felt by everyone. Maybe that’s because there was always room for one more with mom and dad, and so there was never a question of not accepting.

I have to remember to cherish those times and tuck then away for the future. Right now, we’re all pretty happy and healthy. Now at 92, Mom is no doubt silently wishing she could join her Charlie, but we’re all still glad she’s here and in good form. I added up her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: 63, with one on the way. 63 extended offspring! She and Dad could never have known what they were creating all those years ago. Yes, there were certainly challenges coming from such a large clan, and that’s only from my perspective as the third born. I can’t even imagine the challenges my parents faced! But I consider myself one of the Lucky 11, three girls and eight boys, with spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

My family. My Clan. Those words conjure up quite the memories.

Family

This kid

Posted on August 18, 2016November 18, 2019 by kokomeau

This kid. Audrey Jean. AJ, as her dad likes to call her. Seven months old in this picture in the hat I made her. When she smiles like that, she looks just like Kevin as a baby. It’s amazing to me. Her squinty eyes (like mine!), the little puffs under them…it’s Kevin. But she has her mumma’s mouth and smile. She’s the perfect mix.

And her temperament is straight out of a fairy tale. I know Savanna would disagree at 2:00, 4:00, and 5:00 in the morning, but the rest of us don’t get to see that, and so as far as we’re aware, this is one unusual child. At 8 months old, she’s still not shy. She will happily go from arms to arms, giving you her smile, making you laugh till you cry with her ‘funny face’ antics, and letting you know when she’s in need of her mumma by looking for and reaching out to her. She will happily play in her chair or on the floor. She loves sitting in the kitchen and watching you prepare meals. She loves her Cleo pup. She’s sweet and gentle and somehow sensitive even at this young age. Of course she cries; of course she gets fussy around the witching hour, and yes Savanna is her best food supply and thus is exhausted lately from no sleep. But this kid…

In the words of her Great-Grampa Charlie, she’s “somethin’ else.”