OHMYGOODNESS, SEA: This hurts my heart just to read. I feel your sadness in what you write. Bless your heart. It's the way of this world now-a-days when families move apart geographically. It hurts deeply. You'll just have to have a special savings now so that you can visit them as often as possible. In between those visits, letters, cards and an occasional phone call w/have to do. Who knows what the future holds - they may become disillusioned and come back to you. I just wanna hug you and comfort you. You'll have to stay real busy in the beginning, and just knock yourself out and bury yourself in art and work, and everything you can to make your life whole again in their absence. You can do it.

I'm sorry Sea,I know how painful this is for you.If your daughter is healthy and your grandchildren are healthy,it will all work out.she may not want to be that far away either once she try's it on for size.Things change so she may be back.Don't look at it like it's a permanent thing.I'm praying for you to find some piece in this.

I am so sorry.

You will be fine and they will be, too. (Immediately start researching Internet long distance telephone service (skype?)).

And just maybe, he will see that being 'at home' is different for him now and not so great...

ML

Girl my heart breacks for you also .I have been there 2 times and it was not near as for .Like the others said maby she want be happy there and want to come home my kids did .Just keep praying they will come home soon.

So sorry to hear you're feeling so sad.I've also had my boys far away from me. You might like to get a webcam for your computer, then you can still have conversations and see your grandkids and daughter.Try and enjoy as much time with them as you can before they go,
Cindy

Good idea with the web cam! My son is making me a Gramma at the end of this month and he lives in Squamish, a 2hr ferry ride and 1hr drive away(ferry cost $60/each way), and I thought I had something to whine about....

the webcam is a FABULOUS idea...
they won't have a computer at first, since they already sold the set up at the house.
but it's going to be one of the first things on her list.
she's home boxing more things and going to put them into the dad's house, to have things sent a box at a time.
they already sent over 17 boxes at a cost of eleven hundred dollars..
that was just the very basic favorites..
most all in the house is being left behind, 'cept for what friends and me have either bought or taken home to clear it out.
they're going to be walking away from their house..
it's not a seller's market now and they just refied this past summer...there's no equity..
she's a good homemaker, so it's just a matter of a little time and thrifty choices and she'll be back to the warm fires in the fireplace and a stew cooking for dinner...
she's about as Laura Engels as a girl can get!

this is one of my 'up' moments...I can see the good side of it all...tomorrow may be a different story...
it's gone from high to low a few times today already.

ah Becky, BIG BIG HUGS! I'm so sorry

I have absolutely no idea of what to say. I just feel terrible for you. :-(

Sea, my heart goes out to you. I was crushed 2 years ago when my DS moved his family across the country. At the time he had our only GD. The webcam is the best solution. It is a must for you and your DD and they cost less than $100. She will certainly get very homesick too.

It isn't too expensive to mail overseas so start your writing campaign to send those little girls pictures and letters from Gma. Those little girls are really going to miss you.

I hope you will be telling us within the next year that they are returning.

How much I feel your pain.....so-o-o-o-o-o very sorry you are going thru this! Webcam sounds perfect to me, also....the fact that it works both ways will be so good gfor the girls as well as for you and your DD! Prayers that they'll be back here soon!

Pat

Oh my, hugs first cause that has got to be so hard. Can you all get web cams or something like that so you can chat that way. Our GD is in FL and that is to far away.

thankyou all for the thoughts and concerns. I know any of you who should face this, would understand.
there's one solice to it...I'm not alone in my upcoming emptiness.
I talked with my youngest daughter, who is living at this time, with them..she's 22 and was telling me about how every morning, the 2 year old comes into her room, while she's getting ready for work and says "Meena, g'morning"..
she can't say her name (Savannah, so it's shortened to Meena)
and she wants to get into her makeup, so Savannah gives her one of her little makeup brushes and Katherine says thankyou..
I'll be ok but for now I'm very unsettled and trying like crazy to get motivated...yeah right!
but I have my drawing classes and other things to keep up with..and I'm mobile..that helps a lot.
but I have to stay away from thrift stores or I'd get myself into a heap of trouble...lol

as I'm sitting here, Katherine has just called me on 'speed dial'..lol
she's telling me about a book she's looking at...
the lion's paw...
she just said bye to me on the phone and now I'm headed to the drawing class...

thanks for the warm friendliness..It's something that really does help through this transition and I sincerely appreciate it.

Becky

The webcam is a lifesaver.My GD is 10 months old and lives a 11 hour drive away.
Anyway.. we all love the webcam. I can sing to her.. read to her. I even watch her eat!!
I will keep you and your family in my thoughts
Betsy

Oh Sea...I kind of know how you feel. My 23 yr old lives and goes to school in London. One of the first things we did was to get a British Airways Visa. All purchases count towards miles and we use it for everything. I've had several free trips already. Of course the trick is to make sure you pay it off each month :-)

The other two things are 1) the webcam, which everyone has already recommended. That's a lifesaver. 2) We ordered a Vonage internet phone. My son took it with him, plugged it into his internet router, plugged a phone into it and now all of our calls back and forth are local calls. We can talk unlimited for $24.99 and it's SO worth it.

The time difference takes a little getting used to but you'll work it out. So those are my suggestions. It's gonna be hard but hopefully seeing and talking to them often will ease the pain of no hugs for awhile. I know it has for me.

Good luck!

good suggestions...I quick called Bobbie to tell her about these ideas and wouldn't you know...she already knew about them all..
she says British Airways is a bit more expensive but the credit card she has goes toward the miles on trips..
I know she told me that their tickets for the one way, for the 4 of them was thirteen hundred..but I think the baby was free...
I know that whenever I go over, it's going to be her to make all arrangements..lol
I'll just go up by a shuttle to the airport and get dropped off at the terminal and go on in...
but that's so many months in the future..
heck, I might have a whole line of mosaics designed and done by then..
if ever there's motivation to get busy...this is for sure.

it doesn't make me depressed enough to get my hair cut short...but it did make me look at the tall fir tree in the front yard with a new perspective and thought of how bright the house would be..if it was cut down!

spring better hurry up! I'm tired of dull dreary days here.

this picture was taken January 5th, on Katherine's first birthday.....

I meant to say the first picture of the girls..is on Katherine's second birthday....January 5th....
it's the baby, Elizabeth who will have her first birthday over in Ireland, on May 30th...

ADORABLE!!! Kisses from Gramma!!!

My heart aches for you..........I understand your emotions....my daughter only moved 1000 miles away when my grandson was six.......you'd thought the world was coming to an end for me..........web cam helped...but the pain of not seeing or hearing him, or smelling him..It was okay if daughter and husband moved, but my little grandson........throw yourself in lots of activities...take on new challenges........learn something new.........keep your mind very very busy..........they did move back and live no more than ten minutes away..........but now she's talking about moving to AZ...gish.........Just get so busy with yourself that you are dog tired when you go to bed......it will be a difficult adjustment in the beginning.........kids adjust much better than us adults......but with time...it will ease.......start planning a trip!!!!!

Awwww, Becky, I was sad for you but I was ok reading this thread til you went and showed us the pictures! Now I have tears in my eyes. I HATE for people to have to go through that kind of pain. I am so sorry for you. But all the great suggestions will be a tremendous help. Thank the Lord we live in such a technological age in which such things are available!!! Your grandbabies are sweeties!

thankyou...
I've had Katherine for the past two days and nights. she went home this afternoon but didn't want to at first..she was in an old toy..the kind that's yellow and red, with the cab over for kids...
she managed to get it upright, while her daddy was checking out the trailer we're having moved out tomorrow morning..this toy has two broken wheels in the back but it didn't stop her..she was determined..
finally, her mom gave in and pushed her up and down the driveway..when they got in the car, she stayed in her little car and didn't want to leave it but her mom said..
"bye Katherine" and that's all it took. she bailed out of the car and ran to her own car seat...lol
I'll be seeing them at 6am, for the trailer to be hauled down the freeway about 35 miles, to a barn.
after they finish that, we're going to be at the kids' house for breakfast.
the countdown is on...
I know it in my head but I'm trying not to feel it in my heart yet.
my youngest daughter is in San Luis Obispo for this next week. she called me just a bit ago, to let me know she's fine and arrived at around noon, to beautiful weather.
she's been living with the kids and little girls for the past several months and she was telling me how she knows she's going to be a basket case when they go.
she's in really strong transition now.
she's turning 23, changing jobs, checking out California to be sure it's the school she wants to finish her architecture course in and coming home to having to both move out of the house and say bye to her sister, brother in law and both babies, that she's been around since the birth of both of them...
I made her cry when I told her that Katherine had gone in her room looking for her and saying "Meena, where's Meena...she gone?"
Savannah is too hard for Katherine to say, so it's shortened to Meena...cute huh?

I could post a picture of Savannah..she just got her braces off on Wednesday afternoon of this week....
let's see if I can get this to post......

she's the caboose...youngest of my 6 kids.