Perspective

Because she was discombobulated (couldn't find agenda, couldn't find backpack etc.) we ended up driving our darling velociraptor DAUGHTER to school this morning. 

"It can't be easy being her" mused my husband. 

I pointed out it wasn't easy being any of us. 

He laughed and said "You've made great progress though, my dear.  Remember when I met you, you could barely hold your own with strangers!" 

He's not wrong.  I was a self conscious, awkward social mess (Not my fault, I completely blame bizarre family dynamics when I was growing up.  The fact that I ended up marrying the world's biggest extrovert can only have been a very very good thing for me in the long run) 

He continued, "I knew that would take a while to resolve, and it wasn't even my biggest concern." 

"Oh nooooo?" 

"Nope.  It was your inability to throw a Frisbee that was almost the deal breaker!"   

He was dead serious.  And that's really funny to me.  I'm pretty sure that laughter is the only truly effective marital glue. 

Catching Up

Salut Mes Amis!

Just got back from a quick trip to visit my newly confirmed Catholic daughter's first choice of colleges. 

I love this child for so many reasons.

She's sweet, kind, funny, grumpy, sassy and smart.  It's a beautiful and at times infuriating combination.  BUT, it means that she knows what she wants.

While she investigated, mapped and charted her college options, she boiled it all down to one main choice. 

That being said, when I perused the fruits of her efforts (trying to prove that there really just had to be some other options she was overlooking), I had to corroborate that said college was not only the best in the defined parameters, but also the most economical, and so off we went.

It's not an easy "here to there" as the Allegheny Mountains lie between us and it, and after a white knuckled journey straight across them on the way up, we fortunately discovered, a longer, but less harrowing ride back.

But I digress.

We visited, she stayed in a dorm, we met with admissions, she went to class, we ate the food, toured the facilities, talked nitty gritty about scholarships, blah blah blah.

If I could have just left her there to begin her college experience, she would have been thrilled.  When I do leave her there in a year, she'll flip over backwards and only wave longer than normal as we disappear because she knows that I'll be crushed if she doesn't.

I'm not one to get all verklempt (just ask my hubby), but it's H*A*R*D* to wrap your head around your babies leaving home. 

My boss, who is a delightfully real woman (and whose oldest is graduating from college this spring), shared this with me, both as a testament that I will not be alone in my boohooing all the way home, but also as a bit of a warning not to be "that" woman who just can't let go at all.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129693174

Food for thought.

Sweet

This takes about 12 minutes, but it's super sweet. (Get out the tissues...in a good way...no one dies, I promise!)

Caine's Arcade