These blogs are all over the place. Initially I was concerned that I would run out of topics, but they seem to pop up everyday. So, just a review of our situation.
The year was 2013. Approaching retirement and the empty nest, Mike and I contemplated downsizing. C-boy, the future P-DiL, and YD were settled in Chicago. Although ED and sons Blue Boy and Mowgli lived nearby, the distance was far enough to make assistance inconvenient. ED traveled for work occasionally, which meant that I stayed at her house to get the boys off to school, or they stayed with us, requiring that we transport them. Mike and I were still working at the time forcing some creative scheduling. More urgently, ED longed to get her boys in a different school district.
At some point the idea of house sharing came up. (Feel free to catch up on the details in earlier posts.) In an amazingly short amount of time, we sold our house, moving into and renovating property near my siblings. ED arranged to rent out her property, and together we are living and making it work.
We just celebrated the fifth anniversary of multi-family living. ED pays rent and does more than her share of the grocery shopping and cooking. Mike maintains the property. I blog. This is not what we would have imagined for this time of life, but it gives us opportunities to be a huge part of our grandsons’ lives. We have committed to this arrangement through the boys’ college years (assuming they are on the four-year plan) with the understanding that we will likely move apart at that time.
And so, here’s to the next ten years!
