Living Away
July 11, 2007

People often ask me what it's like to live thousands of miles away from my family. My parents live in Connecticut and Jared's parents live in Maine, so it's far.

You know, most of the time it kind of stinks. It's not because we don't have free babysitters at our every beckon call, and it's not because our spontaneous visits are planned half a year in advance. It's mostly because we miss out on so many of the little things.

We miss the birthday parties, we miss the baby blessings, and unfortunately we miss out on various family members' impulse buys. And speak of the devil--my father-in-law just made one this week.

For the last little while, my father-in-law Robb has been wanting to be more active. Over the past year we've heard talk of Robb starting a walking program, buying a treadmill, or joining a gym. But I suppose that none of those options were quite inspiring enough for my dad-in-law. Finally though, after a year of imagination and careful consideration, the inspiration bolt finally struck--in the form of 350 horsepower.

A few days ago Robb was driving down the road when he quickly pulled over to check out a boat. Thirty minutes and a few thousand dollars later, Robb drove away with a 1988 twenty-three foot cabin cruiser attached to the back of his truck. A similar vessel is pictured above.

Who cares if he's not a nautical man!? Why should it matter that he doesn't know how to turn the engine on?! So what if the whole family is prone to motion sickness? I say 'GO BIG OR GO HOME!' And Robb went big--because let's face it, reasonably sized boats are for sissies.

My poor little heart is just bleeding. How can I possibly stand to miss out on this new chapter of my family's life?

  • I want to be there to hear my sweet, Mormon dad-in-law compose his first-ever string of swear words.
  • I want to be there to experience Robb's reaction after plowing into a dock full of innocent vacationers.
  • I want to be there to hear my 5 year old nephew, Nathan, scream in unadulterated fear because Grampy is driving all crazy.
  • I want to be there when Robb hurls his toolbox off the port bow in a moment of mechanical frustration.
  • And I reallly want to be there to see my mother-in-law take a stab at water skiing.

This is so not fair. I want to go home.

5 comments:

Grandma said...

James's life jacket is still in my trunk...let's go! Tell Robb Dad is ready to go for a ride!

Katy Shamitz said...

Ahoy, Robb! Enjoy your adventures. :)

Amy said...

Reminds me of the time when my father-in-law, who had been unemployed for a year and living on savings, came home with an organ. That's right, a large and expensive musical instrument with hundreds of buttons labeled in German that requires hands and feet to play. Did I mention that he didn't play the organ at the time? (He does now, and beautifully, which is the happy ending of the story, I guess.)

Amy said...

Oh my gosh, Amy, that's classic. Maybe my FIL will become a fantastic boat captain...i hope so :)

Brad and Rebecca said...

Let's take it easy on the poor man. He's been working everyday for the last 40 years....he buys nothing for himself....(except a large tv, and Dr. Pepper) and for once he takes the reigns and buys something frivolous....if he hears the sea calling his name, then let's pitch in for a white fishing hat and call him Gilligan! ha ha!