Homecoming, in reverse

When my mother first told me she and my father were retiring and moving up here, I was so very excited. When she told me they weren't retiring and moving up here, I started to cry.

This all occurred 7 1/2 years ago. The original announcement immediately followed the announcement that Omar and I were expecting our first child (please see most recent post). The catch was that in the excitement of their daughter's first baby, they failed to realize that they actually weren't ready to retire. Also, Minnesota is damn cold. Unfortunately, the second conversation occurred when I was post-call, at ~7pm, when I was firing on only ~3 hours sleep and ~7 months pregnant.

Those were some really hormone and sleep deprived tears! (And I was genuinely bummed out).

I figured if I kept having kids, eventually, they would have to move up here. The twins got them house hunting on line, and the announcement of an impending Leo got them looking at Open Houses when they visited.

And this weekend, I am thrilled to say, my parents bought a house!! It is 40 seconds from Omar's parents by car, 7 minutes from us. I am so completely thrilled I can hardly speak. 20 years ago I high-tailed it out of Oklahoma, ready to take on the world and never look back. I didn't need anybody but myself and my posse of friends. Parents were for Christmas vacation (and very helpful for paying tuition...).

And then you realize they are the people who love you like no one else will. They are the one's you love more deeply than you every wanted to let on. They are the reflection of your own fierce parenting love shining back at you in a brilliant moment of clarity after 1 little boy joins the fold. They are family.

So, Mom and Dad, thanks for letting me run the other direction for those years while still supporting me all the way. I love you so much, and I am honored that you will follow me and my crazy cast of characters up here. Welcome back home.