Quiet in the house...

Yesterday was so busy that I barely had time to sit down...in fact, I think it was late (very late) last night before I did finally start to unwind!  Today has been busy in a different way... maybe a somewhat sadder way.  My middle child packed up his stuff (well, most of it used to be mine - but to get him ready to move into his first home-of-his-own I got some new furniture in order to be able to hand some down to him) and moved over 2 hours from home.  I'm finding it is always tough when the kids go.  There aren't many things I have ever wanted as much as I always wanted to be a Mom... now having the kids grown is just not part of the plan I had in my mind.  Not sure what I thought - maybe that they stayed babies or small kids forever?!  Anyway... today he returned home with his buddy who had gone with him yesterday to unpack the truck -- he had a few more things to pick up, and he also needed to get his car and take it back with him.  His job there starts tomorrow.  After packing up some of the food & supplies from our kitchen for him to take back with him, the last thing he asked for was a haircut.  Except for my first son getting a couple of haircuts as a tiny boy, I have always cut both my sons hair.  It wasn't until my oldest went into the Navy that he started having anyone else cut his hair - and now I guess we'll see if this son finds someone else to cut his as well.  Now he is gone - on his drive to his new adventure in life.  I'm sure it's a little bit worse than that feeling on the first day of school - where you are not sure if you are going to cry or throw up!  And I am also feeling some of that.  I'm excited for him - he's on a journey and he has so many great experiences ahead of him.  But I'm also a bit sad and heartbroken that he's not going to be here tomorrow.  He's always been the child of mine that I could count on to hug me constantly - to notice when I got a haircut - to push me out of the way of a bee and take the stings himself.  I hope this journey leads him to much happiness... and that it always brings him home to his Mom very often. 

One of the things I did give him in the past few months is my "old" camera -- a Canon 20D that was my first DSLR.  I made sure he had a couple of nice camera bags and some lens options as well.  Part of me hopes that as he settles into his new life and he finds those days where he has extra time to fill, that he will pick up this camera and start shooting and maybe find he has the love for photography that I have.  When the camera was still mine, it was often around his neck - as he has always loved to take pictures.  So I do hope that continues.  I guess we'll see.

Now on to start cleaning the house now that all of the extra furniture, boxes and just stuff have been moved out.  I've already had it planned to turn his room into a photo studio - got everything ready to go in there!  I'm pretty sure my camera will help me deal with whatever life throws at me - and this is not going to be any different!