Thank you Jan. I will be spending a quiet day w/my daughter. My heart just hurts that I cannot see my mom and knowing she will be alone. And she'll be alone @ Christmas too. I keep thinking "what if this is her last set of holidays alive?".
And yes, we had a lot of fun exploring new places for colleges . Applications are all in ....now we just wait.
Ugh! So sorry
My head was there earlier this year. My parents are mid-80's and my dad still goes to work 6 days a week. it's just his thing. So, my mom runs his errands for him and they both attend the Town Council meetings which I see on line.
I had to buy a plane ticket last summer to get back and see them and Son2 and his wife and their new house. When I bought the ticket, I wasn't sure if I'd be seeing them all by just peeking through their windows and staying at a hotel. All worked out well and had a fantastic visit. Helped my mom shopped for new furniture for the new office my dad is building.
On the other hand, my plans for the rest of the year? Holing up here and working. I've been doing holidays solo for YEARS. I got my practice early thanks to the visitation rules back in the day. Now, I work the holidays. It's too hard to get the time off. Besides, I want my co-workers with families to be able to have that time.
My daughter-in-laws have to spend the holidays with their families every year (which I think is baloney), so it's a relief to be out of the picture. Spent years dealing with the ex-husband and all that nonsense. If it's going to be a tug-of-war, I will let go of the rope every time! I could not be happier in the sunshine with a pool nearby.
I didn't think life would be like this, but I can roll with it
No regrets! Meeting up for a hike on Turkey day. Love the freedom of not having to stress about all the expectations. Life is good!