Crafty Kris: Family From Away

Monday, March 10, 2014

Family From Away

I'm from away. Anyone who lives in the Maritimes will know what 'from away' means. If you aren't from here, you're from away. I've been here more than 10 years but I'm still from away. Our family lives out west. Another great Maritimism that could mean anywhere Ontario and west, usually they mean Alberta or BC. The 4 hour time difference and insane amount of money it costs to travel coast to coast makes family get togethers tricky, but not impossible. At Christmas this year we saved my parents' gifts until later in the day and then my kids opened them with their grandparents via FaceTime. It was fantastic!

Christmas gift opening via FaceTime

Recently, our nephew became stationed at the military base that's about an hour away from here. While he doesn't get a lot of leave time and doesn't yet have a car we were able to have a good visit with him one weekend and hope to do so again soon.
It was so good to see him and have family around. You don't realize how much you miss it.

My boys with their cousin

The kids loved having him over. Although he's 21 he is really good with kids (his little sister is the same age as our middle child). Really, how could he not be a hit? He's their big cousin who is in the military that will still play Lego with them. My oldest was so excited to have him be the one pick him up from a friend's birthday party so that he could show him off to his friends.
The funny thing for me was getting to know him more as an adult. He's a really great kid (my sister-in-law raised him well). When I first met him he was about 7. The year after my husband and I married and moved east we had him come and visit (I think he was 11 at the time). That's the kid I really remember. That's who I think about when I think about him. Even though we've had lots of visits in between he's still this enthusiastic kid who could chat your ear off (in a good way).