On An Emotional Rollercoaster!

The reality is beginning to hit me square in the face...Brittany will be graduating from high school in only 8 short months. Try as I might, there is nothing I can do to stop it. Time marches on.

This week, I've spent a huge amount of time filling out athletic recruiting forms for her. This Saturday after her meet, in fact, we'll be meeting with the head cross country coach at a university here in Georgia to discuss a possible athletic scholarship. Though I'm super excited about it...part of me still wishes it wasn't so. I want to just bury my head in the sand. Ahh...if it were only that easy, but that isn't how you deal with LIFE. You have to face things head on...and with a lot of faith, support, and perseverance, you're able to accept and deal with whatever LIFE throws your way.

Yesterday, I sent in the order for Brittany's yearbook ad. Over the past few days, I've looked through piles of photos in an attempt to find the perfect ones to put in the yearbook. The memories came flooding back. The day I brought her home from the hospital and how escstatic I was to, finally, be a mother! Oh, and then there was her first dance recital and how she looked like a little angel up on that stage. There were pictures of Christmases, vacations, birthday parties, and so much more. That was a hard enough task, but then I had to write a 50-word paragraph to go along with them. How do you possibly compile all of your feelings and emotions for your child into one small paragraph? Every time I attempted to put words to paper, the tears began to flow and I'd have to stop and compose myself. All sorts of raw emotions came to the surface. Have I told her enough over the years how proud I am of her and how much she means to me? Have I given her enough hugs, kisses, and pats on the back? OK, see...I'm crying, again! The logical side of me knows that this is really only the beginning of many wonderful things that will happen. However, the emotional side of me isn't ready to let go...not yet...not now...not EVER! I can promise you that this journey I'm now on is one of the hardest things I've ever been faced with, and I've been through a lot in my life. Then to think that I'll have it to do all over, again, when Abby graduates in only 5 short years!

As I sit here, I think about all the things I'm going to miss the most when Brittany goes away to college...
*Her infectious laughter and her silly sense of humor.
*Our early morning talks before school.
*Making sure she's awake every morning, even if it is 5:15 AM.
*Hearing her bolt in the house after practice asking, "Hey, Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
*Having her come to me for advice.
*Going shopping together and out to lunch. She loves Chick Fil-A as much as I do!
*Cheering her on at cross country and track meets.
*Giving her a kiss goodbye every morning as she heads off to school.
*Making her lunch for school and, sometimes, including notes to motivate and encourage her.

The list goes on and on! More than anything, though, I'm simply going to miss her presence. I'm determined to do the best I know how to keep it all together for Brittany's sake. I know how excited she is about finding her own way in this world and I will love and support her every step of the way. So, for now, I'm holding on tight as this rollercoaster called LIFE takes me through dips, turns, and loops. However, just maybe there will come a day when I'm able to loosen my grip...and LET GO!

Someday They Will Fly

I got inspired the other day to clean out and organize our home office. Was it ever needing it! My husband and I had accumulated numerous books over the years. His were mostly books from college (mine are stored in the basement). Those that belonged to me were ones that moved me deeply, in an emotional way. Some of my favorites are "Stories For the Family's Heart" by Alice Gray. So, I picked one from the shelf and thumbed through it. When I read it a few years ago, I'd turned down pages of the stories that held special meaning for me. One, in particular, really spoke to my heart, so I thought you might enjoy it, too.

Someday They Will Fly

by

Erma Bombeck

I see children as kites. You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you're both breathless...they crash...you add a longer tail. You patch and comfort, adjust and teach--and assure them that someday they will fly.

Finally, they are airborne, but they need more string, and you keep letting it out...You know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that bound you together and soar--free and alone. Only then do you know that you did your job.

I really hope I can remember that lesson when my time comes! Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

P.S. If you would, please say a prayer for Brittany. In the past couple of days, she's received offers for full athletic scholarships to run cross country in college. One is to The Citadel, my husband's alma mater. Though a decision doesn't have to be made right now, as I suspect she'll be getting more offers, just pray for clarification and direction during this exciting, yet overwhelming time. Thank you SO much! :)

All Good Things Must End

Well, my girls head back to school today after being off for the holidays since Dec. 19th. Plus, Chris flies down to New Orleans and won't be back until Thursday evening. He's been on vacation since Dec. 18th. We've had such a great time together and I hate to see it come to an end.

I definitely have a lot to get accomplished today. The house needs a good cleaning, from top to bottom. With Chris and the girls at home, I've done the bear minimum in order to have ample time to spend with them. So, now that the holidays are behind us and the decorations have been put away (actually, most of them came down on Christmas Day!), I really need to get mop the floors, dust, and clean out the bathrooms, to name a few! I hope I'm up for the challenge!

Another thing I need to do is organize the girls' closets. They have some clothes and shoes they no longer wear that I need to donate. Chris and I cleaned our closet out last week and it was so therapeutic! We took a big load to Good Will and I was so happy to get rid of everything! In fact, it was the busiest day of the year for donations, New Year's Eve.

I am definitely going to hop on the treadmill and get back into my running, and I'm going to work out with my free weights. I've not been very consistent about exercising over the holidays because we've been so busy. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things! It always makes me feel so much better!

I have two books to start reading that I got for Christmas..."The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks. It's been awhile since I've taken the time to get lost in a good book, so I'm looking forward to it!

Of course, truth be known, I'm going to miss having my girls and Chris home with me. It just seems like it's the natural place for them to be. I love it when we're all together! There's no feeling like it in the world! We've had such fun having numerous movie nights and challenging each other in games of Wii bowling and Guitar Hero. We're all competitive and we all like to win! It's been great not having to follow a tight schedule or a set routine. The girls and I have had tons of fun cooking and baking together, as well as going shopping. We've shared lots of laughs and made many new wonderful memories. For me, that's what it's all about...MEMORIES.

As much I as enjoy the opportunity to finally get some things accomplished around here and being able to actually hear myself think for a change without hearing, "Mommmm!" fifty times a day, one thing is for certain. I'm going to miss hearing the voices of those that I love echo throughout our house. The sounds of laughter, silliness, and, yes, even frustation are what make our house a HOME.

No, I've never really been one of those moms who says, "I can't wait for my kids to get back in school!" I know plenty of them who just count the days until their kids are off on their own and OUT OF THE HOUSE. Not me! I love having my girls around and I dread the day when it all comes to a screeching halt.

Sorry for my melancholy tone today, but I'm just trying to keep things REAL. Things are about to get crazy, again, with track season right around the corner, homework piling up, and Chris traveling 3-4 nights out of every week. Seems like we're always going here and there, with very little time to just be. Another opportunity like we've had these past several weeks won't roll back around until early April when the girls are on Spring Break. That's definitely something I'm looking forward to because we'll be taking our ski trip to Colorado! It can't get here soon enough!

I'm going to end this post with a song by Suzy Bogguss called "Letting Go". Oh, it's a "lump in your throat" kind of song, so get ready!





Have a wonderful Monday...thanks for allowing me to share what's on my heart!