It has been awhile since I've visited Kenny and Catherine's. They have a standing invitation for me and the twins have bugged me, but finding the time has been difficult. But a couple of things made finding the time important, one was visiting with Kenny to see how he's doing and the other was the girls would be attending their first prom.
Thursday afternoon Ken and his son Matt met me at the train on the way to Matt's baseball practice. As we watched Matt play, we talked. Ken said he was feeling better, the darkness was not nearly as deep and that he is sleeping better. He complained some about the side effects of his medications as I would expect, but he admitted that this was improving. As I watched him watch Matt, I felt that he was doing better. He was focusing on his son and animated, which I took as a good sign. Friday we would have a long conversation about what I've learned about living and coping with depression, another thing that I took as a good sign.
Friday morning I awoke to the approach of peak girl and hormone levels that I've not seen since Grace's (aka bridezilla) wedding. The twins were wound tighter than a clock spring as was Catherine and I was quickly catching up, only little Molly seemed immune. Fortunately they all went off to school.
I set myself up in Ken's office and went to work. I pretty much had lost myself till the girls got home bring a few friends who seemed intent on an impromptu seminar. Over a couple of hours we talked about Paris, boys, fashion, careers, boys, New York, relationships, boys and sex (to much giggling).
When the girls came home with news of the invitations, Catherine's initial reaction was to tell them they couldn't go. Mostly it had to do with her dealing with Kenny's illness near its nadir and partly feeling the girls were too young (15). She stifled her reaction and called her mother and sister seeking input. Both encouraged her to let the girls go and she decided to. She told me that their joy at the news affirmed that she had made the right decision.
Saturday was a blur of hair appointments, manicures and pedicures all the while fussing about the process. Finally it was time to dress and the transformation for giggly girls to lovely young women. The parent's were justly proud.
Just before declaring the whole proceedings gross, Matt announced that the boys had arrived, one driving the family's vintage Cadillac followed by the families of both boys. Flowers were presented, photos taken and we all piled into our cars to head to the venue.
After we got back to the house and Molly and Matt went to bed and Ken retired to his office to grade term papers, leaving Catherine and I to sip wine while talking about the girls and how hard it was to keep ahead of them.
Following the prom there was an after party where the kids were locked in till morning. Around 7:30 we picked them up and all went to breakfast after which I was dropped at the train station to find my way back to the airport and home.
Kim
Thursday afternoon Ken and his son Matt met me at the train on the way to Matt's baseball practice. As we watched Matt play, we talked. Ken said he was feeling better, the darkness was not nearly as deep and that he is sleeping better. He complained some about the side effects of his medications as I would expect, but he admitted that this was improving. As I watched him watch Matt, I felt that he was doing better. He was focusing on his son and animated, which I took as a good sign. Friday we would have a long conversation about what I've learned about living and coping with depression, another thing that I took as a good sign.
Friday morning I awoke to the approach of peak girl and hormone levels that I've not seen since Grace's (aka bridezilla) wedding. The twins were wound tighter than a clock spring as was Catherine and I was quickly catching up, only little Molly seemed immune. Fortunately they all went off to school.
I set myself up in Ken's office and went to work. I pretty much had lost myself till the girls got home bring a few friends who seemed intent on an impromptu seminar. Over a couple of hours we talked about Paris, boys, fashion, careers, boys, New York, relationships, boys and sex (to much giggling).
When the girls came home with news of the invitations, Catherine's initial reaction was to tell them they couldn't go. Mostly it had to do with her dealing with Kenny's illness near its nadir and partly feeling the girls were too young (15). She stifled her reaction and called her mother and sister seeking input. Both encouraged her to let the girls go and she decided to. She told me that their joy at the news affirmed that she had made the right decision.
Saturday was a blur of hair appointments, manicures and pedicures all the while fussing about the process. Finally it was time to dress and the transformation for giggly girls to lovely young women. The parent's were justly proud.
Just before declaring the whole proceedings gross, Matt announced that the boys had arrived, one driving the family's vintage Cadillac followed by the families of both boys. Flowers were presented, photos taken and we all piled into our cars to head to the venue.
After we got back to the house and Molly and Matt went to bed and Ken retired to his office to grade term papers, leaving Catherine and I to sip wine while talking about the girls and how hard it was to keep ahead of them.
Following the prom there was an after party where the kids were locked in till morning. Around 7:30 we picked them up and all went to breakfast after which I was dropped at the train station to find my way back to the airport and home.
Kim




