I spend my vacation time with my family in Oregon. Many people spend their vacation on cruises, and while that does appeal to me, I am lucky enough to have a family that I love being around. When I get a break, I want to be with them. Now that I have a three year old nephew, my time at home is less about my own rest and relaxation and more about spending time with my nephew.

During his first year of life, we got in some good bonding time. Now, it only takes a few seconds before we’re back where we were after being apart for months. He’s at an age now where he’s an absolute joy (though he has always been a joy to me). At bedtime, he’s very chatty. Yes, he’s stalling to avoid bedtime, but these conversations have been wonderful. We both muse over things like what the dog is barking at and whether or not he’ll need to “feed cows” in the morning.

I’ve really been enjoying being around him and am completely dreading the day when I have to drive back to Utah. I think it will be best for both of us that I’ll be back and forth a little bit this summer. Hopefully this will show him that goodbye is not for impossibly long periods of time.