my nephew, austin, moving

i'm currently working on a project going-away gift for austin. thought i would take a small break and write for a bit.

austin is moving next monday...
july 20, 2009.

this photo was taken this past saturday 11th, when we had austin's going-away shindig at the skatepark. austin is my 14 year old nephew. he is the son of my twin sister, heather (my only sibling). he was born the week before we graduated high school. so he's been around about 5 years shy of half of my life. i care for him the way i could prolly never care for another kid. i know they say that there shouldnt be favorites, but there always are... no matter how much you try. i moved around a lot in the 14 years of his life... but i have always tried to be here for him when he needs me. and sometimes when he doesnt! my sister was young when she had austin and my family did as much as we could for her and him... so sometimes i think the rest of us get carried away and consider him a community-son rather than a grandson or nephew. i know at times we have all been overwhelmed. but no matter what, no one can say austin wasn't taken care of! actually, this kid is prolly spoiled rotten because of all of us! well, he's been with "us" for 14 years. his father moved to tennessee when austin was around 5 years old (if i remember correctly). his father didnt fight for custody at all and has only just come back into austin's life the past few years. now austin is 14 years old and after a lot of talking and struggle and love... my sister has decided to let austin move to tennessee to live with his father and see how it goes. i know that this is what austin wants. and franc (his father) wants it, too. i really hope that this move is the change that austin needs to help him get motivated and grow to be the person we all know he has inside of him. i was in high school when my parents divorced. i didnt have a childhood filled with turbulance. i had a "complete" family. i know austin is still longing for missed time with his father. i'm not going to delve too awful deep into that one. i know every boy needs his father. maybe austin needs his more than ever right now. i hope it works for all involved.

when i moved back here 6 years ago, i would take austin on weekends and we would have sooo much fun! whether it was just watching movies, going to dinner... didnt matter... we loved to hang out. then i got a decent job and was able to buy season tickets to the kalamazoo wings ice hockey. austin and i had front row centered behind the home bench. we would stay for the meet and greets after games. he was a member of the kids club and got to go down on the ice between 2nd and 3rd periods. he always got to choose dinner before the game. it was usually "mongo" (mongolian bbq). i got him addicted. the kid didnt always want to listen to my new-food suggestions... but he always ended up loving 'em! i miss those days. i'm going to miss sooo much once he's moved. we all are. i know that my sister wants to do what is best for austin... but i know this is tearing her up, as well. i know that austin's little sisters alexa (6) and aubriana (3) dont really understand what it's going to mean for austin to be gone like this ... until he is actually gone. and even though austin really wants to make this move... i think he's going to be more heart-broken and homesick than he wants to believe right now. i dont think he has fully realized how much my sister - his mom- means to him and his world. i'm sure that's the way many kids can be. as adults we can see those things, looking back. but what did we really know when we were that age?

austin is super talented! he has the heart of an artist. i'm happy about that. i have always had the heart of an artist... i was always told i got it from my uncle. that makes me happy. i've done everything i can to encourage austin's artistic ability. heck, the desk i put in his room when they moved in to my place is decked out with all the art supplies a kid could hope for! i bought him a drum set a few years back since he said he wanted to be a drummer. i think he is taking those with him and his father is going to let him take lessons. that really pleases me. i think music and art are such wonderful forms of expression... and a great way to channel so much that we sometimes just cant express any other way.

okay... the more i write the more teary-eyed i get... so i'm going to stop writing about this for a bit.

austin jordan alvarez... if you are reading this you better keep in touch with us! email, texts, phone calls, smoke signals... whatever! you better keep in touch! i love you oodles and bunches!
silly rabbit.