I mentioned a while back that various ones of us were going to be traveling throughout the summer.

Jim and Jeremy just got back from Brazil, and Jason left Friday to spend the summer in CA counseling at a Christian camp. Jesse and I were alone most of the weekend — it felt so strange! I didn’t mention it while they were gone — didn’t want any cyberstalkers to know!

Jim and Jeremy left Monday and just got back Sunday. Jim’s company had a conference, and Jim invited Jeremy to go along: if Jeremy could pay his own airfare, everything else was pretty much covered. Jim has traveled internationally once before but this was Jeremy’s first time.

Jim’s passport got pickpocketed at one point, but thankfully just a short time later someone came along with it. Whether the pickpocket was after his wallet and dropped the passport when he realized that’s what he had, or whether someone actually took the passport hoping to get a reward for bringing it back. we don’t know, but I am thankful his wallet wasn’t taken and that the passport was returned before they had the headache of dealing with the logistics of that.

Jim’s cell phone was supposed to have an international plan, but his cell phone wouldn’t work there. However, we were able to talk through Skype — somehow he used it on his computer to call the house for just a few cents a minute whereas the phone call would have been $2 a minute. Once he called through Jason’s Internet tablet and we actually got to see each other while talking (and I am glad I don’t have to understand these devices to use them). So we pretty much got to talk every day.

This is Jason’s fourth summer going to CA, and you’d think we’d be used to it by now. With all the discussion and preparation for going, it didn’t really hit me until I walked him out to his car, then I got teary but held off crying til after he left.

He was flying out of Charlotte way early Sat. morning, so we decided, instead of getting up at 3 in the morning and having that drive with little leeway if something happened with the car or whatever on the way and being groggy behind the wheel, he should drive there Fri. night and stay in a hotel using Jim’s points (something like frequent flyer miles, but for hotel usage). Jim and Jeremy were flying into the same airport, so the car would stay at the airport for a little more than a day til they got there.

All of the gadgets we have access to (and we are a gadget family) like GPS devices and cell phones and directions from the computer do help a lot in sending a child off, but it is still not easy. My mind was tumbling with last minute reminders and instructions as Jason was leaving and I finally had to tell myself to just stop. We had already talked about everything, and going over it all again would just add to the nervousness. Part of letting them grow up is letting them take responsibilities and deal with the ups and downs of everything involved.

I am happy to say everyone’s travel plans went well and everyone arrived at their destinations with relative ease. Traveling is draining even as quickly and relatively easily as it is these days compared to what it used to be.

Everything went well at home, too — no broken appliances or cars or anything else that a wife can dread happening while a husband is away. Laundry, dishes, recycling, and getting ready for church are all a lot easier with just two! Meals aren’t — I tend to just go with simple stuff when there are just two or three of us at home. But with the empty nest looming in the next several years, I need to brush up on that. I do get Cooking For Two magazine — I should probably put those recipes in a separate file for quick reference.

And it’s odd to discover that one can enjoy quiet and solitude and still be lonely at the same time. Nights are the hardest — aside from safety issues, Mother Hen likes to know everyone is safely tucked in at night and there is an unsettled feeling when everyone’s not there. I supposed I’ll have to get used to that in the coming years. But I won’t think about that now. 🙂