Family First...making it work....

Just returned from a wonderful weekend, if not tiring, with the family in Pensacola, FL,celebrating my father's 60th birthday. To surprise my dad is tough enough...to surprise him on a day where he surely was expecting something is amazing. We made the trek 10 hours up the highways of Florida (by the way, Florida voters, that 12 billion dollar bullet train sounds a lot better at 3 am on the turnpike, but I digress...) and managed to spend 'quality'
time with the aunts, uncles and family friends. My brother and sister are both closer to home,
which sometimes makes me feel out of the loop a little - I chose to live farther away, so I can't blame anyone but myself.

I don't want to gloss over how glad I was that we did make the trip. As I said, it does feel at times that distance makes family dynamics more remote. I'm not sure how other families handle it. In our case, we've always maintained a close relationship through the miles, but often it meant picking and choosing events and holidays that we could attend, depending on financial and other concerns. Of course, grandkids and grandparents always go together, and thankfully Marcus and Naomi have maintained good relationships with both grandparents. Now I know I have to help maintain the relationship with all our family members, no matter how far away - or close - they are.

BIG NEWS! I'm happy to present Marcus and Naomi's first podcast, which can be found on Itures (although the title didn't show up), and at their Mac page. Copy this link into your address - http://web.mac.com/allenpaul/iWeb/Site/M%26N%20-%202%20Homeschool%20Students/M%26N%20-
%202%20Homeschool%20Students.html

Thanks for all of your support, everyone...Look to the hills...
AP