My household: Me, Merissa (15-year-old granddaughter), daughter Trayce (30) and her son, Kayson (3 mos.). Keeping up with a house and yard was becoming too much for me, so Merissa and I moved into a 2 BR apartment in August '05. It was perfect for us. Last spring, when the baby's father abandoned her, my daughter had nowhere to go but here. I've told her I can help with the baby for a year or so but am not willing to try to keep up with a toddler on a full time basis.
Our apartment seems to be getting smaller as we add baby items -- a crib, a walker, a bouncy chair, a swing, a floor play gym. Trayce is worried about when the baby starts to crawl and then walk. We need a larger space but I know she won't stay in this little town after she finishes school so I'm hesitant to move. Perhaps she should start looking for her own place.
Extended family: Daughter, Tara, 42, lives here in town and works in Austin. Her daughter, Meghan (23), is married with two daughters (ages 4 and 3 mos.) Meghan's baby was born 8 days after Trayce had her baby. That was two nice Christmas blessings for me. Son, Troy (40), lives south of Houston with his 2nd wife and 5-year-old son. His 15-year-old daughter lives north of Houston with her mother and stepfather.
My brother lives in Tampa, FL, where we grew up. I moved to Texas in December '74 with my second husband, never expecting that I'd be living here longer than I lived in Florida. My last child, all four grandchildren and both great-grandchildren have been born here, so it looks like my roots are pretty deeply set in hot Texas soil.
I miss my family in Florida and have watched from a long distance as so many of them have passed away - my grandmother, my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. I've been unable to attend weddings, funerals, family gatherings - the things that hold a family together. My best friend since 7th grade is still in Florida and I miss being able to visit with her as often as I'd like. My brother comes to Texas twice a year but since Mother passed five years ago, I haven't been back but one time.
Life is full, though. Merissa has been a blessing and even though there are no blood ties between us, I couldn't love her more if I'd given birth to her - or if one of my own children had borne her. She's been a dancer and gymnast since pre-school and has won state, regional and national titles. She was ranked 37th in the state in gymnastics when she was 10. She gave up gymnastics to focus on dance and is amazing at it. She also does some acting and modeling and has done magazine covers, tv commercials, print ads, etc. She's been on the high school dance team for two years, makes A's and B's and has never been a discipline problem. She's polite, well-mannered and respectful. We've travelled thousands of miles together pursuing her interests, from dance performances in Boston to gymnastics events in Florida to runway modeling in Palm Springs and Las Vegas to giving a speech in Washington, DC. She wants to attend Kilgore College in northeast Texas and be a Kilgore Rangerette. She also wants to be a Congressional Page in Washington. She isn't sure yet how she'll combine her interest in political science with her love of dance but I'm sure she'll figure it out.
She's the caboose of my child-rearing career. Another two years and I hope to pursue the interests I've put off for so long. What I'll do, where I'll go and what I'll learn is yet to be seen.
