When we moved to Chicago in 1974, I wrote letters to my parents and rarely called them because it was just too expensive. Friends from Hawaii and I also kept in touch through hard copy letters. I kept a lot of them.
You never get letters now. 😂 We're also constantly in touch with friends right here in Hawaii and the mainland and definitely our kids daily by text messages. The world has really changed.
On Easter Sunday our daughter scheduled a Google Video meeting for us all.
Our granddaughter, KC is now at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Our daughter and husband live in Chicagoland and our son and his family live and work in Africa now.
It's mind boggling when you think about it. Here we all are in Chicagoland, Champaign, Africa and Hawaii seeing and talking to each other.
Since Tiffany, our son-in-law and Keola all went to the University of Illinois, they were all watching the NCAA semi-final basketball game pitting Illinois vs. University of Connecticut with bated, hopeful breath.
Tiffany said she'd heard someone had put up a sign on the Alma Mater and wanted to see it so KC actually walked there, taking us with her.
I remember that statue from when we took photos in front of it when Keola graduated from the U of I in 2000. Tiffany had graduated 3 years before.
And as you can see, our grandsons are quite aware of it.
Go Michigan. Since we vied on the Michigan border, I have a bit of a soft spot for those universities.
ReplyDeleteI don't follow sports but I do understand the joy of it! So nice that you all can meet up on a Google meeting and chat! We used to do that once in a while with my older son.
ReplyDeleteI remember having to book overseas telephone calls! It's so much easier to keep in contact now, and for that, I'm sure we're all grateful.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we were beyond letters by that point, when I was in college, I had a scheduled time to walk down to the end of the floor hall and use the one phone to call my parents once a week until they finally got phones in every room. Now like you, we can do video calls anywhere in the world at any time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't watch sports, I do hear about it now and then so I wasn't rooting for Illinois since they had beaten out Iowa the round before.
I love University tee-shirts and have several sweatshirts and tees from my alma mater. (U of Washington) The communication has certainly gotten better. How do you deal with the time change in Africa though?
ReplyDeleteOldest Son went to University of Illinois, so we were excited the basketball team made it so far into the tournament. It's hard when the members of a couple are rooting for different teams.
ReplyDeleteYay for Michigan! How time flies I remember when KC was a baby, must be captured on your blog too.-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIsn't technology the best! What a joyous way to spend the day, hanging out, watching the game, and comparing "notes," even taking a walk, and everyone in their own place! Wow. Great memories, too, of times past. Having watched your granddaughter grow up here on your blog, seeing and hearing about her current status just blows me away! It has all happened in a blink of the eye. I know I feel that way about our grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteI recall when I went off to college there was one phone in the hall. If I called home, I did it on Sunday and called collect. Times have surely changed. Today children’s lives are not nearly as safe. Dangerous world. I don’t think my dorm room had a lock. 12 girls shared a huge place on an upper floor. No lock on the door. Nothing ever happened.
ReplyDeleteAllegiances get complicated.
ReplyDeleteSports are a fun way to mix with family, nearby or at a distance. I didn't follow the NCAA tournaments, but I would have if I had a connection to a team.
ReplyDeleteDuring covid my oldest daughter set up family zooms so we could be together. I remember everyone at their Easter table with their dinners. It was so much fun. Whatever the next occasion was, we did the same and the older grandkids had us load a game they made on our phones. We could see the quiz on the zoom and everyone would text the answers. The most fun was making up player names to confuse each other. I am sure your Internet Dinner was a great success, too. How fortunate are we to have technology to keep in touch instantly!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that you were able to be together with family through Google Video at Easter. I've been wanting to do something like that with family recently, but we used to use Skype... and I think Skype is no more. I will check out Google video. And although I love text and email, I do miss writing and receiving letters. I kept them too... and occasionally go back and read them.
ReplyDeleteOur younger son was on the faculty at U of I Champaign for 3 years and we loved visiting there. The arboretum on campus has some beautiful trees, as does the campus generally. Son has moved on to another job so a Champaign visit will be unlikely for us, but I hope you have a lovely time.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ceci
So lovely that you all can meet up on a video call and chat.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I'm quite grateful for facetime with my grandkids.
ReplyDeleteI am always grateful for this technology that brings us closer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a meet up!
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