This is Kid

Kid is now a Freshman at our public high school.

And she's a cheerleader...

I'll let that soak in.

Time Traveling

22 months ago at ages 9 & 5:

TODAY at ages 11 & 7:

What the hell??!!?

Please note Baby's head in relation to the light switch.

And Kid's legs in relation to...

oh... I don't know...

The Empire State Building.

And

They are creating a spot for Kid.

She's visiting today.

(And having a nervous breakdown tonight)

I'm hoping we can convince her to give this a shot.

It is never too soon (or too late!) to learn that our instinct...

To stay in the relative safety of a known (even if we KNOW we don't like it)

Rather than risking that security on an unknown (even if we KNOW it will be better)

Often holds us back from true fulfillment and happiness.

So while, I don't negate how hard leaving friends and routine behind can be...

Nor how hard transitioning to a new routine and new friends will undoubtably be...

I hope I can raise my girls to take the risks in life.

To be optimistic about new horizons...

And not to walk away from opportunity when it comes knocking.

When you are given a choice, don't hand it back, or push it down, or ignore it...

Actively choose.

She Calls It Like She Sees It

It has been hot here the last couple of days, and so I've been wearing a rotation of 2 new dresses I got. But sometimes dresses aren't really appropriate (weed wacking).

I ran down to my bin in the basement and brought up a couple pairs of shorts.

Oof. I could technically zip them... but could not... technically breathe.

I took them off and headed back downstairs. Baby looked up from her lunch and said "Too small?"

And it struck me as funny because in her life experience that is perfectly normal. The girls outgrow all of their clothes by the next year.

I rummaged around in my bin and brought up a short denim skirt. Wishing I hadn't bought such a trendy item last year... and wishing it was about 10 inches longer, I put it on. That skirt was always cut a little big in the waist, so I could zip it. And breathe. But instead of resting lower on my waist, as it had last year, it was resting lower on my ribcage. Making it obscenely short.

Baby walked in...

"Why do keep trying on kids' clothes?"

"I don't know" I replied, laughing at the unintended insult.

I put back on my dress and headed out to mow the lawn, defeated but motivated.

A Sign Of The Times

"Why is there so much rice and not very much meat?" Kid asks at dinner.

People!

I'm back. It was a great trip and much needed.
We relaxed.
We got tan.
We collected sea shells.
We saw boats and sunsets and seals.
We clearly gained some weight.
We.... we....we sold our house!

Okay, okay, we may have sold our house. Things are getting hammered out today.

The good news? If this goes through then we are done. Done keeping it clean. Done showing it. Done trying not to "live in" our own freaking house too much.

The bad news? We got pressured into low balling our selling price and while I guess it worked... we can't shake the gnawing feeling that we could have gotten more (a much needed more I might add).

Oh the other bad news? That gives me 4 weeks to get all packed and moved... and I haven't even been to Asheville yet!