Summer and Time to chill

It's going to be a chill day in the mountains -- both literally and figuratively. 
The kids are back to working remotely around the boxes and yet unpacked stuff. Getting the internet properly hooked up and running was a priority to keep working with minimal time off. There isn't much for me to do as I don't know where things will go and the kids are more OCD than I am.
So chill it is.

The high temp today is only forecast to the mid 60s (18c). I should have brought a jacket. This plains dweller didn't think about the cooler mountain temperatures when packing for summertime in higher elevations. Rookie mistake.
So chill it is.

I think the mountain environment is going to be ideal for the kids. I know that Hannah and her dog Freya will be finding dog parks and hiking trails for most of the summer. It was just a few years ago that they visited Daniel's uncle and family here in Colorado Springs. They immediately felt drawn to live here. Hannah inked her arm with a mountain tat as a reminder of their goal to live in the mountains. I took this pic yesterday morning from the deck of the duplex where they'll be living. That is Pike's Peak in the background. 

Yeah, she's a happy girl!
And Daniel (sans ink) is equally as happy to be here.

Over the next few days, Chris and I will check out the area and help them get settled before returning to the humidity of the Midwest. I'm happy that our kids are pursuing their lives and growing in their experiences, but I do wish their dreams didn't take them so far from their dad. But that is the way of things in our family. My five siblings and I live in six different states. The oldest six nieces and nephews live in six different states. We are on the west coast, the east coast, and the Midwest. For the time being, we are all in the same country. That will change when fall comes and Aaron and Jenny make their planned move to Puerto Vallarta. 

When we return to Missouri, I'll have to mow my overgrown lawn, do laundry from the trip, and pack for a weekend trip to Central Illinois for an Independence Day gettogether at my cousin Rick's place. Although it has been a big annual event, this will only be our second time to make it.
Retirement does not suck. 
Maybe there is something to that old adage -- absence makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe the geographic diversity of our family is why we get along so well and cherish the times we are able to be together.

It's summer in the Northern hemisphere!
Enjoy!

John