Close Relations

Day Ten of NaBloMoPo and I am late! Sorry! I will get this up before midnight in Austin, though -- so it still counts!!!

Friday, February 10, 2012
Do you live close to your family?

The short answer - Yes. Sorta. And not at all.

The long answer - I grew up in the very small town (village?) of Rittman, Ohio. I knew, growing up, that I wanted to move away. Don't get me wrong -- I have amazing memories of that little town. It was a great place to be raised in the late 70s/early 80s (so dating myself here). We knew everyone in our neighborhood (and probably the six surrounding ones, too!). Our street was this picture-perfect suburban space where the kids were always out riding bikes, or playing "kick the can" in the backyards or catching lightning bugs. And, I had this great sense of acceptance in Rittman. I rarely got picked on for being different (more so in middle and high school but never in elementary, when it really counted) and most people knew me or at least knew my story. I was the girl in the wheelchair. And I always had this feeling like the majority of the town looked out for me (which is true when 3000 of them donated blood in my name before I had a huge series of operations in 1987).

Also, everyone in my family lived in Rittman, Ohio besides two sets of aunts and uncles and three cousins. In my graduating class of 88, I was related to 4 people. I grew up with my paternal grandparents living two streets over. My aunt and her family lived just one street over. My maternal grandparents were in walking distance. And come on, it's a small town. Everyone was nearby.

But, Rittman is small. It lacks the diversity and opportunities you get in a larger town. And, there wasn't much "to do" there, growing up. I knew that in order for me to gain the most independence, I needed to get away from the cocoon that is Rittman, Ohio. And, as I posted previously, I knew I needed to get away from my father.

I moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1997. I was less than three hours from Rittman. It was a pretty big step for me, because I always assumed I'd just end up near Akron or Cleveland (much closer to "home). I started at college two days after I moved and got my first ticket on my first day of commuting to class because rushhour was awful and I was speeding near campus to get to my class on time. We didn't have rushhour in Rittman, Ohio. We only had five traffic lights (two of which have since been removed).

I lived around the Columbus area until 2007, when Mark was offered a job in Austin, Texas. I always wanted to move South, because winters with snow and a wheelchair are a huge inconvenience. I would practically be a shut-in until all of the snow and ice melted because the parking lots and sidewalks were always treacherous to me. However, I never in my life thought I would move to TEXAS.

But, we did. And the closest relative was my oldest sister, Jill, who lived in Houston -- three hours away. When Mason started school, we knew no one in Austin, so his emergency contact number listed two people -- my sister, Jill, and a co-worker of Mark's who also lived in Houston. This was a HUGE step for me -- moving away from ALL medical professionals I knew and trusted. Having to FLY home for an emergency. This was even more of a big deal for me because Mark started to travel for work ALL. OF. THE. TIME. 3-4 days out of 7, he was not usually in Austin, Texas.

We survived and made amazing friendships with so many great people who quickly became our second family. And last December 5 (Mark's birthday!), my mom moved in with us after selling my childhood home (the ONLY house I ever lived in until I moved to Columbus). She knew she would move to Texas since 2 out of her 3 daughters live here and she, too, needed to get away from the cold and snow. Originally, she had suggested moving somewhere between Austin and Houston, until we showed her that there really ISN'T anything between Austin and Houston. She didn't want to move to Houston because she didn't want to evacuate for hurricanes (which my sister has had to do twice -- once to our house, which was a blast, except for the whole worrying-if-their-house-was-going-to-be-destroyed-thing). So, she started looking for places in the Austin area when Mark suggested she move in with us. Yes, he will even say it was all his idea.

So, now, the closest relative (besides Mark and Mason, of course), is just four rooms away. Until we move into "the big house" once we sell our current one (which we will be listing very soon).

Sorry this was so long. You could have stopped reading after the short answer!