{8 Years to Go! | The Countdown is On!}

I have been debating about blogging about this for a while now, but I think some people (I don't know who...but someone) is probably sitting in their living room right now (or in their bed like me) thinking this same thing.

So here it is folks.


I can't wait to be an empty nester.

There. I said it. I am not ashamed to admit it either.

I have been a parent my entire adult life. I got pregnant with Gaige when I was eighteen years old, had him when I was nineteen. I was barely old enough to vote and not old enough to drink the alcoholic beverages that a mom needs to get her through those sleepless nights (lets be honest though...I probably wouldn't have drank them anyway).

Gaige at just a couple weeks.

I had just turned twenty-one when D and I first started dating and he brought Dawn into the mix (well Tristen too, but he only live with us for a short amount of time). I was a twenty-one year old mom of essentially twins. Since Gaige and Dawn are only six months apart in age (she was born in May, him in December).

Gaige and Dawn two years old

Owen came along when I was just twenty-four. And I spent the next three years with him attached to my hip because #breastfeeding.

Owen the day he came home from the hospital

I'm not saying regret any of that. Sure I had kids young but I wouldn't go back in time and change any of it. Changing even one small thing might have changed the kids as they are and although they all three make me want to go full on Britney Spears circa 2007 sometimes, I wouldn't change how they came to be.

But I'm over half way through this thing called motherhood. In just three short years Gaige and Dawn will both be eighteen and (God willing) on their own with some type of job and apartments close enough for me to check on them, but far enough that it's more convenient to grocery shop at a store instead of my house.

In eight years Owen will be eighteen. I think this one will hit me quite a bit harder than the other two. I'm not saying I love him more (obviously) but he's the baby ya know? Then again, maybe he'll be a super annoying teenager and I'll be counting down the days to him moving out lol. Who knows?

D and I already have our retirement/empty nesters life all planned out. Of course it won't go as planned. Chances are we will end up living in this house forever and never do anything. But our plan is to sell or rent out our current house and buy a motorhome (I would prefer it be mine..but whatever). We want to travel and do things we didn't get to do in our 20's because we were both raising kids. Just us and the dogs...and probably the cats lol.

I'm looking forward to it. I know I can't be the only one. Please tell me I'm not the only one lol.

-Kristin