Headed to NC

The Grays just got back and now we're on our way! We'll be headed to North Carolina in a couple of hours, woohoo! We haven't seen my stepsister Kim, my brother-in-law Frank, my nephew Matthew, and my niece Ashlynn since... oh... July 21, 2007. Prize going to everyone who knows the significance of that date: a pat on the back.

So, needless to say, it's been forever and I have been just dying to see them all. I was fortunate enough to be around a lot when Matthew and Ashlynn were both younger. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, I even lived with them, which was a really great time. These days we go through these really long stretches (variables dependent on holidays, family get togethers, busy schedules) where we don't get to see each other. Add to that how little we get to see Bryan and Julia, my other nephew and niece, and it gets really hard to deal with.

It's especially hard sometimes when we're with Cliff's family because Matthew and Luke are the same age and Ashlynn and Anna Grace are the same age, so I see them doing things from dancing in recitals to playing in basketball games and I think about what I'm missing by being so far away from them.

But, we are fortunate when these clearings of the calendars happen and we'll get to spend a two good days just the two of us visiting them at their home outside of Raleigh. It's never been just the two of us visiting before, but we suspect we've got a great weekend ahead of us!