One of the very best things about being home is seeing our family; on the road we missed them so much at times it was a palpable ache.
Paul and Denise and Chandler
My oldest son Paul lives with his wife Denise and son Chandler in Fort Lauderdale. Paul and Denise are extremely busy and that might be understating the case; they are real estate agents – Denise is also a mortgage broker. With the mess the real estate market is in here in South Florida, they work every day, often up to eighteen hours a day. Sunday is their only day off, and they are usually incommunicado, needing to recover to be ready for the week.
Chelsea and I don’t have a car, Paul and family live forty-five minutes away by car, and it’s a miserable long bike ride down there. That means we see them intermittently at best.
I couldn’t stand it any longer, so in early February we borrowed Ivar’s van to take a drum set back to its owner, down in south Palm Beach County. I called Paul and asked if we could keep coming down to Broward and visit them.
We had more fun than I’ve had in ages. The good thing about Paul and Denise is that, no matter how infrequently we see them, we pick up right where we left off. They are both very funny and very smart; conversations flow fast and easily.
We loved hearing their stories about the local real estate conditions – it brought to life in a very real way the articles we read online. Swapping stories about being overwhelmed; talking about old family issues; covering Chandler’s life in great detail; talking about our own adventures on the road – we covered it all.
Chandler was a particular treat. Now twelve, he’s doing well in school and is going for his second black belt in karate. He’s really good-looking, really bright, really quick, and is forever grounded for one reason or another (Paul and Denise run a tight ship).
Early in the evening Chandler and Chelsea split a turkey wishbone, with Chandler getting the “winning” end. As he threw the bones in the trash, Denise said, “So, Chandler, what did you wish for?” “Well, I guess I’m off grounding now,” he said to the room in general. While Denise and Paul rolled their eyes skyward, Chelsea and I laughed till we cried.
Chelsea and I really enjoy Chandler and we want to take him with us on parts of our tour. He’s very, very interested – we have to get him a bike and get him out riding. We haven’t figured out all the details yet; we might try to go on a Florida tour this summer. We’d love it – three generations out on tour together.
What started out to be just a two-hour evening ended up with us driving away at nearly midnight, still laughing, and waving madly back at Paul, Denise and Chandler, who waved madly back at us from the front lawn.
Alex and Amanda
Alex, who lives here in Delray with us, now has a serious relationship in his life (her name is Amanda), so he spends most nights at her place. Rather than losing a son, though, I have gained a new family.
Amanda works with Alex at the Ale House (she’s a bartender, he’s a server), where Amanda’s brother Chuck (two years older than Amanda) is a manager. Formerly from New York, the brother and sister moved down to Florida a few years ago, followed by their dad. Amanda and her brother Chuck are close, spending a lot of time together (they live only a few apartments apart in the same complex). Alex really likes Chuck too, so the three of them are frequently doing things together.
Meeting Patricia
Amanda’s mom still lives in New York. Last fall, after Thanksgiving, Amanda brought Alex home to her mom’s house so they could meet. The trip was a big hit, with Amanda’s mom really liking Alex. Patricia, Amanda’s mom, even sent home with Alex two charming Christmas gifts for us.
In early March Patricia made a visit to Florida to visit her kids; during her stay here she wanted to be sure that she met us. Amanda, Chuck and Patricia planned a family dinner – Patricia had decided to cook an Italian meal for the whole crowd.
The evening was wonderful. Chuck and Amanda and Patricia hosted us at Amanda’s apartment; Tyler came with us, and Chuck’s friend Frankie came. With Cocoa, Amanda’s chocolate Lab; Prince – Chuck’s big Golden Retriever; and Lola – Kaleena’s little dog, it was quite a crowd.
What can I say? The food was great, we talked and laughed all night, the dogs were everywhere, and meeting Patricia was wonderful. We came away with a strong feeling of family, and we look forward to more get-togethers.
Easter Sunday
Amanda and Chuck are really good about holiday get-togethers; Easter was no exception. The day included Amanda and Chuck, Alex, Chelsea and me, Tyler, Kaleena, with Chuck and Amanda’s dad (also called Chuck), and his girlfriend Kat.
All the dogs were there in force – Prince, who’s really a lover but a very exuberant dog who thinks he’s a one-hundred-pound lap dog; Cocoa, who’s always looking for somebody to throw a ball; and Lola, Kaleena’s little dog.
We had all the usual fabulous food; the table was set in a festive fun manner; and Amanda had baked an ice cream cake in the shape of an Easter bunny. They had even set up the plan for an Easter egg hunt – the girls hid the eggs for the guys in Amanda’s apartment; the guys hid the eggs for the girls in Chuck’s apartment.
I haven’t hunted for Easter eggs in years…we don’t remember now who won the most eggs, but we sure had fun tearing apart the house to find them. Tyler got the award for most dedicated “hunter” – he did a pull-up on one of the ledges in the dining area to see if an egg was in a basket up on the ledge (it was).
Amanda sent us home with the remains of the Easter ham and the hambone, so I made split pea soup with ham a week later, sharing it with Alex and Amanda.
I think it’s impressive, even as horrendously busy as we all are, that we manage to see each other socially. I for one really love my kids – I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have three such amazing kids.