#stepkids — Public Fediverse posts

Empty Nest… Again

We became empty nesters in 2021 when my step son left for college. My step daughter is two years older and she left for college in 2019. She finished her undergrad in 2023 and went to work at the same University in a research lab. My step son finished his under grad in 2025 and started grad school the next semester.

Also in 2025 my step daughter’s contract with the research lab finished. It was time for her to move on. Grad school was next, but she did not yet have anything lined up. She was going to need some time to work everything out so she moved back home temporarily and for a while we were no longer empty nesters.

Like I said though, it was temporary and today is the day that it ends. Next weekend we are flying out to California to help her move into her new University housing. About an hour ago she left the house so she can spend the rest of this week at her dad’s. He isn’t going out to CA right away so she’s going to spend some time with him while she can. 

So technically speaking, she hasn’t actually moved out yet. That will happen, strictly speaking, on Saturday. Still… she won’t be back here until Saturday morning and that will just be to meet up with me and her mother for the drive to the airport.

So now we’re back to being empty nesters again. We also have to deal with the mixed feelings that come with it. On the one hand, she’s moving to southern California to start a PHD program. How awesome is that? She’s about to go through an amazing experience. I can’t wait to see what she does next, and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for her. She is incredible and she is going to do incredible things. At the same time, I don’t want her to go. My wife and I are really sad right now. We miss her already.

I am going to focus on the positives and try to just be excited for her. I don’t know if I can cheat myself that way, but I am going to try.

He’ll be Proud

My step son, Harry, will be proud of me. I just finished watching Better Call Saul. He really wanted me to watch it. He was raving about it all the time. Now I’ve watched the whole series and he can finally talk to me about it without worrying about spoilers.

FYI, it’s as good as everyone says it is. Go watch it.

Subject change. I mentioned that I bought a few new guitar pedals over the last week. I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet. I’m debating whether I want to integrate them into the board I use at home, or should I make a brand new pedal board instead. I’m leaning toward a new board. Just for a while at least. Just for schnitzengiggles.

Subject change. We have a couch delivery scheduled for this morning. The delivery window they gave me is pretty long. It extends into my work day and it overlaps two scheduled meetings. Here’s hoping we get lucky and the truck gets here early enough to not mess anything up.

Subject change. Our mouse hunting cats had a target last night. We woke up in the middle of the night to see them chasing a gross little teeny tiny rodent around. At the time, the little bastard got away. We don’t see any signs of the prick this morning, but the cats are clearly still on high alert. We live in the woods. One of the biggest rivers in New England runs smack through our town. Mice are a part of life. Still… go get the little home invading asshole, cats. Do your job. Protect your house.

Okay. Time to go start the day. That delivery truck is going to be here… eventually.

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Empty Nest

And just like that, our very full nest is an empty nest again. Harry left this afternoon and Bellana left a few minutes ago. They are both heading home to Vermont.

It was a wonderful weekend and I loved every second of it, but now I am sad. Jen and I will have dinner together and I’ll probably be pretty mushy and lovey (no spoilers) because I know she’s sad the kids are gone too.

Getting old sucks but it’s better than the alternative.

#adultKids #collegeKids #emptyNest #emptyNesters #Family #grownUpKids #Holiday #holidayWeekend #Kids #StepKids