Mom Needs A Hug

My youngest son Matt tried a state university here in Illinois his freshman year of college. He hated it. It was located out in the boonies, in the middle of nowhere and we knew very early on that it was not a good "fit" for him.

He decided to go out to Boulder, Colorado the following year. One of his friends attended the university in Boulder, but paying out-of-state tuition was out of the question for us. Matt decided to go to a community college in Boulder until he figured out what he wanted to do.

He finished college at a four-year school in Durango and got his degree in education. He has become an amazing teacher. He is in his second year of teaching out in Telluride, Colorado, a small ski town in the San Juan mountain range.

It's always difficult when your children move away....far away. Our daughter, Tresa lives in Chicago, less than an hour from us. We see her often. Our son, Michael and his wife, Bernadette moved to Virginia when they finished up their schooling, because that was where they found teaching jobs. It was hard to see them leave. They managed to visit when they could and we took a vacation out to Virginia and had a wonderful time visiting. It's a long drive, but one that you can do over an extended weekend if you need to. They moved back here this summer and it's great having them back.

Then there is Matt, who decided to fall in love with one of the most beautiful states I have ever been in...Colorado. We drove Matt out the first time when he moved to Boulder and I was blown away. The views were beyond anything I had ever seen. Everywhere you looked it was gorgeous. We drove out again to move him to Durango. Durango is in the southern part of the state and different from Boulder, but still nice. We haven't been to Telluride yet, but it is our hope to drive out there this summer if time and money permit. Matt once said that he feels like he is living a dream.

If Matt lived in Denver it wouldn't be quite so bad. You can drive that in one day if need be....but no, Matt doesn't live in Denver. He lives in Telluride, which is over the mountains another 7 hours past Denver. You don't make that drive in a day.

So, we don't see Matt very often, and it's hard....very hard. We all really miss him a lot. We talk on the phone and e-mail all the time, but it isn't enough.

Matt is our youngest. He is our nature lover, our hiker, biker, camper, snowboarder, kayaker and rock climber. We live in Illinois and of course, you can do some of those things here....but not under the watchful eye of majestic mountains. He loves where he is at, and I know that he has found the perfect place for himself. I've never seen him happier. I can always tell when he is feeling a twinge of homesickness though....the calls come more frequently, and he's been calling quite a bit lately.

Anyway, Christmas is coming and Matt will be pulling in sometime on the 21st. I took the entire week off of work so we can spend some time together. There will be a lot of hugs, a lot of laughing and a lot of talking. Matt always drives so that his border collie, Luna can come with him. I e-mailed him today and asked if he would like to help me bake cookies on Monday. He said sure, as long as we were done before the Bears game comes on that night! Sounds good to me.

Now, if I could just find away to get everyone else to move out to Colorado.....I would be right behind them!!