Hotel California

I half-expected to feel more inspired to write knowing my words were going to end up in that beautiful new template. Yes, my words look much prettier there, but I can't see that when I type. As a result, I'm unexpectedly hit with a case of writer's block.

Perhaps it's time to explore those thoughts about my brother's move across the country. I've been avoiding this post in part because my thinker's been somewhat defective over the past few days, as I've been plagued with a killer headache. Yesterday it escalated to the point where I was completely unable to function for several hours, and I couldn't find anything to help it at all. It came back again this morning, but it's not as bad yet as it was yesterday, so maybe I'm feeling just good enough to try this post I've been avoiding.

So my brother and his wife are headed to Kowl-ee-faw-nee-yuh, as their beloved Governator would put it. Jen (by the way, happy belated birthday) is from California. Her family still lives there, in the same area where Dave and Jen have jobs. Until they can find a place of their own, they will be staying with her parents. For Jen, this is really a move back home. I'm thrilled for both of them that they have jobs they are looking forward to and that they get to go be with family. I'm excited that they get to live in California--Malibu to be exact. It just sounds ritzy. And now I have a reason to visit Malibu!

I can't help but feel a little selfish about the whole situation, though. Up until this weekend, my whole family lived within a five-hour radius around Dallas. Even Matt's parents live within that radius. If we were in Dallas, we could easily see anybody in the family with one reasonably short trip in any direction. We had mini-reunions regularly, even for occasions as mundane as the State Fair. I'd never given the situation much thought, and a part of me expected things to always be that way. My mind recognizes that families, especially ones as large as ours, tend to get scattered from coast to coast easily. My mom's family of the same size is literally scattered from California to Maine. Yet, somehow it has caught me off guard that my family is quickly headed in that same direction. What's to keep my sister and brother-in-law from moving to the east coast when he graduates with his graduate degree?

No longer will my baby brother be able to hop in the car for a last-minute trip to Dallas. I won't be able to see him almost any weekend we happen to be at my parents'. That easy three-hour drive from Abilene has turned into an expensive several-hour plane ride. Hanging out with my brother will turn into a huge event, not a commonplace occurence. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so perhaps I'll cherish those times when we can get together that much more. Still, in the meantime, I think I'm going to miss my baby brother and my new sister-in-law.