Now that I'm "Noni"...

It's funny how life's experiences bring perspective and understanding. I've always had a strong desire to be near my family. As my children build their lives and start their families, I am reminded of how our parents struggled with how to stay connected with us and their grandchildren during this period of our lives - or was it me doing the struggling?! Raising a family is a big job and I would have loved to have family close by for moral support. Our efforts to move closer really never landed us close enough, but we all made it work. My parents prioritized winters in Phoenix to be near us for at least part of each year. Visits to their rental house meant rides in the golf cart, swimming in the big pools, and trips to the donut shop! I spent several weeks each summer taking the kids back home to get the best of the Midwest and those that love them there. Those summers bring back memories of days at the Wilmette beach, rides on the combine at the Seib farm, and trips to the Columbus swimming pool to jump off the high dive and fly down the water slide.

In this ever-shrinking world, air travel is commonplace and technology opens the door to stay connected across the miles. Still, with new grandbabies living out of state, I find myself brainstorming ideas to be a more constant presence in their lives. Not only that, the women I admire the most in this world are my mother and my daughters. All of us experience different types of joy, concern, and challenges, but how amazing would it be to find ourselves right around the corner for celebration and support along the way?

But how do you realize this dream when we're all scattered across the country and engaged in the lives we have built? How do I preserve the flexibility in my work schedule to create opportunities to be there for both the big moments and little ones as my children and grandchildren live their lives? How do I convince my Mom to live near us, or even with us, so we can help each other along the way and spend less time traveling to do it? We have another 8 years before retirement becomes a realistic option so, in the meantime, I am setting my intentions on these options:

• Remote work that allows us to work from California and Oregon in the summers
• VRBO in Marin County in July
• VRBO in Portland or Black Butte in August or September
• Budget our income so that we can host family vacations. Some ideas on the radar...
• VRBO in HI 
• Reunions in Phoenix and Chicago
• Beach house in S. California
• Colorado mountain vacation