The Most Emotional Day?

It's Sunday morning, I am writing this entry after what I think could be the most emotional day of my parenting life (so far). More on that later, you need to read to the end to find out. Well, you could scroll it you have a finger, but then you'd miss all this stuff.

The period began with a trip to Detroit to meet Geoff, followed by an impromptu Fall mini-RestFest on the boat in Canada.  And the final shot to complete the beers of our lives poster.

 

 

What's this, another trip to Canada? This time with Eva for Fall Break, perhaps laying the groundwork for a permanent move next year. 

 

 

 

 

 Through it all, dogs.

 

  

 

And Caturdays.

Now on to this weekend, and yesterday specifically. But first, don't forget to like and subscribe below. The weekend started with my bride off for a weekend of refueling. So it focused all of my attention on kids and dogs. The dogs, well, they were integral to the Saturday which included some couch time watching football, including a 6-1 start to the season for UK. But mostly the kids. First, on Friday night and a dinner out to our shadow favorite place, Winchells. You see each one has a friend with them. Eva's is well known, but Levi brought a new face to the table and I've never seen him happier. And those same pairings would continue the next day. 

  

But with a twist. Levi was off to Nashville to see a band called Interpol. Nashville is a 3.5 drive, which means - surprise emoji - an overnight stay. The face in this picture below is again an expression I don't think I've ever seen on Levi's face. Combined with him seeming to fire on all cylinders in his first year of college and independent life, it's the transition I guess every parent has to go through. A child developing an independent life outside the home. It's great to see but also sad to think his life will continue to revolve less and less around me. It's what a parent tries to create for the better part of two decades, and it's gratifying to watch happen, but it's still a shock to the system. 

  

 

And thinking ahead to next Fall, I picture the same thing for Eva. So it occurred to me that this weekend is something I need to savor because I'll probably never have a third Saturday in October where I can do this. This day next year, who knows where Levi and Eva will be, but they will almost surely be in a life that isn't what we've been doing for the past decade. 

 

 

After a long lunch we head home, her friend comes over, I put on a football game, open a beer, the kids make a batch of cookies, we order some dinner... it's one of those unremarkable scenarios that has played out any number of Saturdays for the past ten years. This time without Levi. I didn't appreciate this last year when both kids would've been home on a day like this, and now I know it's the last time with just Eva. I know there are new experiences ahead, and I look forward to seeing both of them continue to grow into remarkable adults. But damn it hits hard and I'm not ready to let it go.