Just the Two of Us

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I knew it would happen, but I wasn’t ready when it did. I am talking about my husband Douglas and I becoming empty nesters. 

We have two children, Andrew and Mandolin.  They are four years apart in age.  We had always suspected Andrew would choose to serve a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  When he turned 18, he applied and received a call to serve the people in Florida.

Yippee!! I was proud of his choice as my husband and myself had both served missions.  It also gave me the chance to just have Mandolin all to myself while Andrew was away. I would, and did, miss him… but a little bit of “girl time” was also an appealing scenario.

Mandolin and I had plenty of time plan adventures and go on road trips.  One of those road trips took us to my sister Melissa’s house in Loomis, California.  Mandolin loved it there! So much so that she asked if she could just stay and never go home to Washington with me.  Well, no.  She had to at least come home and think about such a huge live change.

 That was a Wednesday.  By the next Sunday, her car was packed to the brim and heading down to Loomis. She was just a high schooler in the middle of her junior year.  Andrew was still in Florida.  He would come home for a couple months, but then leave again for his own college experience.

I had gone from a mother with two at home, to being an empty nester in less than 6 month.  Blind-sided. Never saw that coming.  I had to start cooking for just two.  It took a little bit of practice and a lot of “left-over” eating until I got the hang of it.

Following is a collection of new favorites I have had to scale down for just the two of us.