Off to College....

Just dropped my oldest girlie off at the Junior College....got home and a funny feeling hit me....I didn’t take a pic of her first day of college!...then another funny feeling hit me...it would probably be really weird if you did take a pic of her first day of college!

And so another adventure of motherhood begins...trying to be the best Mom I can be for a college girl.  Trying to keep the unwanted Mommy advice to a minimum, trying to give the space that a college girlie needs, trying to just watch for a while...let her go, let her grow.

Wow this motherhood thing sometimes just socks you right in the tummy!  I have been here all of these years right by her side...and yet....where did they all go!?  How did that tiny four year old that we dropped at kindergarten turn into this lovely young woman?  Well, of course, I always knew she would be a lovely young woman.  That isn’t the surprising part - the surprising part is just how fast it happened.  One minute...and then the next...and well...you know....

self portrait

So she is off at college now experiencing all those college-y things...I will hear about some of them (a lot of them I hope!)...but others will be hers and hers alone.  That will take some getting used to.  Just like the realization I had the other day when Lane, Madison and I were sitting around talking about when they (someday) have babies.  We were laughing, talking about names, how many and what kind of babies (not puppies or kittens, but, boy babies or girl babies).... and it hit me...once more, right in the tummy....they will not live here with me when they do this...again, it would be weird if they did.  But, I will not see every little thing that goes on.  Some of the things I will hear about and others will be just theirs.  This is a good thing I have to remind myself.  This is the way it is supposed to be.  And yet it is world shaking.  My being the center of their world is a temporary thing...I knew this...I know this and yet....

My hubby tells me to think back to when we decided to get married and start a family.  My relationship with my mom didn’t wither...it matured and changed, I had so much to share with her.  She was always there when I needed her, she always listened and gave advice when I wanted it (well ok sometimes even when I thought I didn’t want it!) but I was making my own family and it worked out ok.

So, now I have taken myself from a simple first day of college to marriage and children, but, once it all starts...it just doesn’t seem that big of a leap anymore.

What I really want to say to my girlie (and to the other girlie in the wings) is this...you are strong, you are beautiful, you are sensitive, you are smart, you are kind, you are loving, you are funny, you are reflective, you have ideas, you have opinions, you have energy, you have excitement....and you will do wonderfully.  I am sure of it.

Love you to the moon (and some more),



xoxo        Mom (Elizabeth)


*Portrait credit for the last photo goes to Craig Smith @ Insight Photography
       Thank you for this gorgeous pic of our girlie!