Wednesday, June 19, 2013

My Last Full Day with Family

Wifey and me on a date night in 2011
No matter how I try to write this post, it keeps coming out depressing. You see, I've only left my children once. When Wifey and I went on a weekend vacation and had her mother watch our three little ones (back when we one HAD three little ones.) We did one of those weekend Carnival cruises and it was tough to leave them. So tough, in fact, that we never did it again. We have been married 15 years.

I don't believe in letting our government, public schools, daycare or anyone else raise our children. While it is true we lack, for the moment, the fortitude to homeschool our children, we still refuse to sign the permission slips for countless immunization shots, liberal sexual education indoctrinations and otherwise anti-family, anti-religious agendas. Our children are OUR responsibility.

The only time I have left Wifey has been in the last year to attend school. I have been driving up to Weber State University in Ogden, Utah to complete their RPA program. It requires two trips per semester, each for only two days of classes. So, I would leave on Wednesday morning and arrive twelve hours later to check into a nice ski resort. I established a terrific relationship with the management and scored a nice two or three bedroom condo for $40 per night. I've even taken my family up there twice but that is another story. My point is, only in 2012 did I leave Wifey's side and it was for a mere four day stretch on four occasions. One of those I took Sis with me. The drive is beautiful.

Fast forward to today and I am struggling with leaving my entire family for a minimum of one month...perhaps two. I'll miss July 4th with them which we have always celebrated together. I'll be 1,000 miles away. Of course, I'll be calling daily and probably Skyping for face time too. But it still doesn't change the fact that I'll miss them dearly.

If I had to sum up my feelings for Wifey, it would be with a picture I saw hanging on the wall in a local bookstore. It read:

"If you live to be 100 years old, I hope to live to be 100 minus one day...so I never have to live a day without you."

Before I could buy it for her, the bookstore stopped carrying it. I'll have to make my own for her...one of these days.

I've asked neighbors and church friends to check on them regularly. We'll go through some self-defense (read: gun practice) and emergency protocols later today. Smith & Wesson will keep her company by the bedside. The rest of the armory is going with me. Our nearly two-year-old German Shepherd is showing fierce loyalty already. I was told Alpha female Shepherds are naturally protective of their human family and she stays IN the house at night. The house was fortified years ago. We'll make a grocery run today so that I know they'll have fresh food for the next two weeks. I even offered to have groceries delivered from Amazon so she didn't have to run the errand. All that would be left to fetch is milk since our clan guzzles about a gallon each day. She just chuckled and grinned at my meek Amazon offer as if to say "Silly boy, do you think I'm helpless?"

While assessing the new job, my primary concern will be finding a temporary home. The sooner I do, the sooner we can be back together. Aside from that, I'll be scoping out the local church and schools as well as assessing the local living expenses. I'm being told the food costs are more expensive in Oklahoma in comparison to Arizona. I find that odd since Oklahoma is such a large farming state...or at least it used to be when I lived there 20 years ago.

Floated this idea by a friend's wife who does signage...
The only good thing about not having a job these past four weeks is that I've been able to spend so much time with my family. It has been a blessing in it's own way, I suppose. Now if only I could figure out a way to make all the income we need to enjoy life while living at home...

Any ideas?

~OJD

4 comments:

  1. Leaving the family can be really hard. I had to do it a couple of times and didn't care for it at all. Hope the big change goes smoothly for you and the family and you will all be happy together again real soon.

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  2. You know, when I first moved here to Oklahoma I couldn't believe the cost of groceries either. Like you, I thought that big farming meant better prices. It's just not true though. I was a bit shocked when I first got here. Not only are the grocery prices higher than in Texas, they charge taxes on food. Now THAT I had never even heard of!

    Hang in ther OJD, it will be over before you know it and you'll all be one big happy family again. And a whole new adventure awaits all of you!!

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  3. I'm late to this party, but will offer my hopefully helpful opinion, anyway. It seems you have prepared your wife and daughters very well. Your efforts show your love. Now let the Father's love take on your worry!

    We live in the beef producing state of Wyoming, but that doesn't mean the grocery store beef is cheap. It's fairly expensive in fact. Commodities, including food, is sold to the highest bidder and processing of food takes place often great distances from where it is produced. You will find plenty of added expense in the form of transportation. My suggestion is when you get that fabulous looking tractor running, is to plow up a garden spot, amend it with some aged cow manure and disc it in. Next spring disc again and plant a garden. Raise chickens for eggs...and meat. Buy a locally raised beef or raise one yourself.

    Doing these things, you can greatly reduce trips to town for groceries and may even be able to do the stock up thing at some Costco a couple times a year. It's amazing how much healthier your food is when you grow and raise it yourself. Where you live you can probably get an early garden and a fall garden for cool season crops. There is nothing like teaching your children how much work goes into putting food on the table but there is nothing like the taste of home grown green beans, peas, potatoes, TOMATOES!, raspberries, lettuce, carrots, spinach, peppers, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, broccoli, asparagus, grapes, apples, pears. The work will begin far before the seed goes into the ground, so enlist all that great help you and wifey have created.

    God bless you and keep you and your family safe and happy while you are apart.

    sidetracksusie

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  4. Just stumbled upon this blog. I can see you love your family as I love mine. Warms my heart to read this and know there's a like-minded guy out there.

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