Out!

Little mini-vacation for me, starting in...oh, about five hours. My bosses might tell you it started two days ago, since I haven't gotten anything done, but at least I have been here:-) You are all going to have to survive without me for a little bit...quiet crying is acceptable.

Headed to the beach for the weekend, and then Munchkin and I are taking a little road trip next week to visit some colleges. We are leaving Monday morning and will make our way south as far as Washington, DC and then back again. On the way, we are going to visit about a half dozen schools, take the tours and bum around a bit. We may very well buy some T-shirts...

I have a lot of feelings about this. First of all, it makes me nervous...my baby sister is GOING TO COLLEGE. My baby sister that I held on the day she was born (and silently promised to always protect:-)). My baby sister whose first real word was a shortened version of my name, and whose first steps were towards me (is all of that true? It certainly is in my head:-)). And of course, my baby sister who moved in with me as a skinny 10 year old and has blossomed into a brilliant, stunning and remarkable young woman...seemingly in a period of about four minutes.

Second, it makes me feel old...probably should NOT have scheduled this the week after I turned 30.

Third, it makes me incredibly proud. The schools on this list are many of the very best, most selective schools in the world, and she will get into every one of them if she decides to apply. She will get into them because she is brilliant, because she works incredibly hard, because she excels at everything she does, because anyone who interviews her will beg her to come to their school, and because she has a remarkable life story that would have done enormous damage to most kids, but has just made her that much more stronger. And they don't even know the half of it!

She will get into all of these schools because she deserves to get into them. And that, folks, makes me feel better than I can put into words.

And finally, I think this is gonna be really fun. We are gonna be in the car all day and hotels at night and we are gonna eat junk food and listen to terrible music (total time spent with Demi Lovato on the radio? I'd say 4 hours...) and laugh. I am running out of things to do as her Mother, I have to enjoy them while I can!