The Aspen

I met the Aspen when I was 27 years old and my life has never been the same.

I'll never forget the first time I met her. She was 7 years old and I had recently started dating her mother.
She came storming down the stairs rushing past her much calmer older sister, Tara, wanting to show me every one of her stuffed animals. I was happy to give them a good looking over much to her delight.
She was bouncing off the wall with energy and I was instantly amazed at how much she looked like her mom. I soon learned that she had her own very distinct personality and character.

Since that first meeting we have been pretty tight.

Also on that day I brought my own special touch to her life, I added a The to the front of her name and have called her The Aspen to this very day.

Some time in the next couple of years I adopted Tara and Aspen and it's almost as if I have been in their lives forever.

She is a very special person and I actually feel sorry for those that don't know her.

Thing is I am a very immature person and proud of it. I come from a long line of immature people and I'm ok with that. Aspen, however, is not and never really has been immature.
Which brings up the question of who raised who. From my point of view, I learned so much more from Aspen than she ever learned from me and she did wonders to mature me in ways I didn't think possible.
I'm a long term project.
I began learning from the Aspen when she was 7 and I am still learning to this day.

The Aspen excells at relationships. In other circumstances, she could be a relationship coach if such a position actually exists.
She's also an artist and very gifted in many creative ways.
Sweet and loving, she is also very encouraging to others.
Possibly the best thing among many other good things about Aspen is her great love of family, whether we actually deserve it or not.
She kind of reminds one of a puppy, full of love no matter what you have done or said wrong. She yearns to make things right which is something I can totally relate to. I like to fix things, she likes to fix people. Great thing about that is, people need fixing.
Especially me.

Do you get the idea that I kind of like the Aspen?

On Sunday, the Aspen is loading up the moving van and heading to South Carolina with her husband Jeff. If I didn't like the guy I wouldn't approve.
It's hard to not like a guy that introduces you to golf.
Not only have we got our oldest daughter and her beautiful little baby girl to Australia, but now the Aspen will join them in living far, far away.
They are taking with them the greatest dogs the world has known so far, Duke and Ella.

We are excited for them, but don't think even for a minute that we aren't going to miss them.

Aspen's Mom is pretty torn up over it.
Not I, because I am tough and very mature for my age. Yes, I am lying, but I am excited about the potential each of them face in South Carolina. I am happy for them regardless of what I am feeling inside and I know they will do well.
Who knows, some day we might even move back East ourselves looking for a place that rains and is cooler.

The Aspen is one special person, but hopefully you have figured that out for yourself by now.


Soon I will write about Tara and Tyler.