Being Grandma

The reason I live in the desert is because of the geographic location of the grandchildren. I live here because it is close enough to visit them regularly and I could find a good job. Friends ask why I don't live even closer than I do now.  Well...because it doesn't snow here and it does snow where they live. And that is pretty much the main reason. You know how I go on and on about the sunshine. But, I do live within a few hours' drive and previously I lived a very long three days drive away. So, this is completely tolerable. This proximity permits frequent visits from them and even more frequent visits by us. We can buzz up there for a weekend event, like baptisms and baby blessings or even birthdays or performances. We end up traveling north most of the time for the big holidays because it is easier for us to go to them than for their lives to be uprooted on those events. It's all good. And, we've instituted Grandma Camp.

This year was the Third Annual Grandma Camp, as the seven year old Captain of Precision Language son of our daughter continually referenced it. He's the one who also pointed out each time we passed Mojave Street in our travels about town because -- hey! It's Mojave Street and we're in the Mojave Desert! Finally his almost-ten-year-old sister rebelled against this mention and shut down that repeated exclamation. See? Just one of the awesome opportunities you get to enjoy when attending Grandma Camp! (No, seriously---it's just their parents' childhoods redux---we LOVE it!!)

So, after the wedding, I loaded up the two kids who were free to attend this summer, and we headed south. When one travels on the interstate actually going from one state to the next, one passes so many enticing signs. They direct you to stop here to see that, and they mark historic events and buildings and routes. Usually, when driving up and back, we're on a mission to just travel as quickly as possible, with as few stops as possible. But, Grandma Camp is different. So, this trip we stopped at one of those sites that had teased us the many years we've been driving up and down I-15: The Utah Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. Our granddaughter just finished a year of learning Utah state history in her fourth grade class, so we were ready to see it for real. It was an excellent state park and you should all plan to stop in someday. It also was a perfect opportunity to stretch our legs about 1/3 of the way along our drive.

 

Then we arrived in the Mojave, at last. When I plan this week of fun, I usually try to think of new things to do that we haven't done in previous years, but, silly me! That's because I'm a grown-up! The kids want to do all the things we've done before! So, the agenda is mostly: swim, eat, swim, go to Shark Reef, swim, watch movies, stay up late, go to another museum, swim, eat, play with their parents' old toys, swim. This year we also went to the Tournament of Kings show, too. The whole purpose is to spend a lot of time talking, laughing, swimming and just enjoying one another's company. We've gotten quite good at it.

So, if you have grandchildren, don't fail to spend time with them. I don't mean just a couple of hours, or a trip to Disneyland. I mean bring them to your house and spend a few days. We scrubbed the bathrooms, cooked dinner, cleaned up the kitchen. They had to make their beds each day. CoolGuy and the little brother spent some time in the garage tinkering with the motorcycle. We had some down time in which each of them just read books or worked on a craft they'd brought.

Real life....it was fun for me because it reminded me of the days being mom. Which days seemed like they'd go on forever, yet zoomed past in record time. Now that these kids are back home, it also reminded me why it's good to be mom in your 20's and 30's: you have a lot more energy and vim and vigor at that point! One of the great parts of Grandma Camp is that it is voluntary and can end when we choose. We try to conclude while people are still feeling like our grandson on the last night. "Grandma, do you know what is the worst part of Grandma Camp? The end!" Yes, but we'll do it again next year for sure!