March - April 2013 - Hillsborough County Medical Association

Viva
Las Vegas
became a mother at a very young age. My
I daughter, Charisse, was born in 1971. My
second daughter, Gina, was born in 1978. I had
no plans to have children after that, but low and
behold, I gave birth to Justin in 1992.
I quickly realized that having children 21
years apart was not that unusual. I found that
many experienced the same situation. In fact,
it’s rather common when people remarry…especially
if a parent was young at the time their first
child was born.
Charisse married her high school sweetheart
in 1990 and in August of 1991, my first grandson,
Austin, was born. I remember all the shopping
and the excitement of helping decorate my
grandson’s nursery. The thrill of his upcoming
birth eluded the fact that I was going to become
an unusually young grandmother. That soon became
a nonissue when,
much to my surprise,
I found out that I was
pregnant!
So there I was, about
to become a grandmother
for the first time…and
about to become a mother
again for the third.
Four months and eight
days after my grandson
was born, my son came
into the world. Having
the two of them grow
up together has been fun, exciting, many times
exhausting, and sweetly memorable. For many
years, prior to my other grandchildren being
born, it was just the four of us. We did everything
and went everywhere together. From parks
and beaches, to baseball games and the movies…
we were inseparable. We spent every holiday together
and on occasion my daughter and I even
bought our sons the same Christmas gifts in order
to avoid controversy.
Everyone always thought that Justin and Austin
were brothers; they didn’t look alike when
they were younger, but the closeness between
them was undeniable. I remember many times
my grandson putting his arm around my son’s
neck after being questioned only to brag, “Nope,
this is my uncle and he’s younger than I am!”
As my son and grandson were growing up, developing
their own personalities, choosing different
paths in sports and outside interests, they remained
very close. Through thick and thin, they
were always there for each other. I’m sure they
have a few stories to tell that my daughter and I
don’t necessarily need to hear.
My daughter and I have never lived more than
15 minutes apart so it was easy for our sons to
spend much time together, including overnight
stays on weekends. Our annual family vacation
was spent in Boca Grande where the boys would
play games, swim, fish, golf, and just hang out.
When they became teenagers we would rent a
golf cart for them so they could take off to roam
and explore the island on their own.
When our sons were 20 years old, my daughter
and I started talking about taking them to Las
Vegas to celebrate their 21 st birthdays together.
They both have had somewhat sheltered lives
when it comes to
traveling. We knew
the excitement of Vegas
would certainly
be an experience for
them, plus they both
enjoy playing poker.
Most of the time they
play with friends in
a laid back environment…and
with
minimal money at
stake. Occasionally,
they will venture out
to the Hard Rock in Tampa but never exceed the
planned amount of money allotted for a possible
loss. When they come back winners, even if by a
slight margin, they are happy campers.
When my grandson turned 21 he didn’t mind
having to wait a few months to “celebrate” his
birthday. They talked about the trip often, while
I was planning behind the scenes. Of course a few
months seemed like forever for both of them, but
on January 8 my son turned 21 and two days later
we were on our way!
As soon as we boarded the plane in Tampa the
excitement was abundant. It was difficult to hide
my own excitement, as I had a few surprises waiting
for them. One included a limo driver waiting
for us at the airport in Vegas. He held a sign that
read, “Justin & Austin.” When they first spotted
him it took a minute for reality to sink in. They
(continued)
Director’s Desk
Executive
Debbie Zorian
DZorian@HCMA.net
HCMA BULLETIN, Vol 58, No. 6 – March/April 2013 11