Pumpa's Trip to the East Coast to Help Move My Grandkids

Can you imagine living in a two-bedroom, one bath, 700 square foot, 2nd floor apartment that has no parking, no yard or grass, no washer and dryer, no dishwasher?  Can you imagine living far away from family and long-time friends in Brooklyn, New York?  Can you imagine having four children, one aged 3 1/2 and three aged 1 1/2 in one bedroom, and obviously being incredibly cramped for space? 

That was the life of my daughter Emily and her husband Adam the past year and half or so, and it has been incredibly difficult.  Because of a fairly substantial, heaven-sent pay raise from Adam's current employer, they allowed themselves to dream about moving.  They found a nice home on a tree-lined, suburban street with a driveway with their own parking, with a fenced large grass side yard, in New Jersey.  It has four levels (one of them is an attic floor where they can store stuff), three bedrooms, and a washer and dryer in a finished basement (the bottom level)!  It was inevitable that they move, and this house which they are renting on a month-to-month basis, seemed like a great fit.

I volunteered to fly to New York last week to help them finish packing and to help with the actual move.  It was amazing how much stuff they had crammed into their little living space.  It was amazing how cheerful Church members showed up and helped watch the kids as others finished packing, lugged furniture, boxes and stuff down the stairs and onto the truck, and cleaned walls and floors and appliances and fixtures as stuff was taken away.  I did what I could, cheerleading as I huffed and puffed and sweated (it was SO humid!) 

We said good-bye to those good souls that helped in Brooklyn and drove our U-Haul to Rutherford, New Jersey near the Meadowlands Sports Complex (where the New York Giants play football).  There in the heat and humidity we unloaded the truck rather quickly with the help of a couple from a nearby New Jersey congregation of the Church and placed stuff in the new house.  Soon, the kids and Emily arrived and Emily promptly took off their clothes except for Elizabeth's underwear, put the triplets in swimming diapers, turned on a sprinkler, and let the kids run around in the water in their new side yard.  Emily says it warms her heart to see her children be able to run and play safely on grass that is theirs.

The next few days were emotionally intense as the temperature sweltered and the humidity became worse (it finally rained the night before I left) and kids and Mom (and Pumpa) were adjusting to the new house with boxes everywhere and not much cooling.  Having four children under age 4 in any circumstance is difficult (Lucy, one of the triplets had a fever), but the heat and the disorganization exasorbated the difficulty.  I felt quite helpless sometimes because I wasn't sure where Emily and Adam wanted to put things and because the kids want their Mama and not Pumpa when she's around, and would actually push me away and cry and/or scream for her.

Finally, yesterday, it was time to leave.  Adam took the day off to help Emily organize the house and to assist with the kids, particularly sick Lucy.  After hugs and kisses, Emily and Elizabeth took me to the Newark Airport.  I flew to Phoenix and then to Burbank where Geema awaited me.  How strangely wonderful to feel the dryness of the air, to not hear crying or screaming, to be in an uncluttered environment once again.

I'm glad that I was able to do what I did for this little family so far away.  I'm so proud of Adam and Emily and how they deal with their circumstances and how they are attempting to make a life for themselves and their little, loud family.  I know that neither Ann nor I could do what they are doing.  We want to support them in any way possible, to help them in this transitional time in their lives.  Bye-bye, Pumpa!