Away We Go

Wow! It's been MONTHS since I've sat at this computer and let it all out. So much is happening....so very much.

To start, we are now parents of a 7th grader and a 9th grader. Our youngest is in 7th grade people! Holy cow...time flies. Second, E is graduating from college in the spring. From. College. C is getting ready to go into her junior year at BSU. And K...well, K is moving to Germany. Be still my heart. I thought New Mexico was bad...Germany is worse. I mean, it's exciting and all, but it's SO FAR AWAY! We're hoping to go visit next year. Praying to go visit.

Matty and I are good. We've had some bumps: his back went out, our funds are being used up by doctor bills, thought our car was dead and had a few medical scares...but we're breathing and living and growing.

Right now all six of our girls are under our roof. It feels nostalgic. There is laughter, fighting and sniffles. It's amazing how they walk into the house and revert to their space in the house. They slip into their roles...even the married ones. Even the grown up college girls. They hug their daddy and cuddle up to me. They get irritated with each other in one breath and hug each other the next.

This chapter, this last year, has been a hard one. It's been full of sorrow , restoration, joy and tears. Every year unfolds...sometimes I wish they wouldn't unfold so rapidly. I can see glimpses of the future, glimpses of what it appears our girls' lives are going to be. Who they're going to be with, what they're going to do. The women they're becoming amazes me. And even though this is the "natural order of things"....I still don't want it all to happen.

It's strange, only 4 of us at the house full time. C comes and goes, life beckons her. E is up north. H has her own little family to take care of. K is (going to be) in Germany. Life is quiet with only S and Little Bit. I miss the chaos. However, I know that even as they move on, adventure will unfold. I know that my life isn't done being written, that my story is still unfolding. That Matty and I have a life to live that doesn't involve the care of others. That even though we are always their parents, we are suddenly just us.

This transition is going to be hard. The moving way far away thing is what's hit the girls the most. K is happy to go, to be able to grow and explore with her husband. But she's soaking up her daddy hugs, her sister time and her mommy snuggles. She's getting teary thinking of moving away. We're happy she gets to go....sad to see her go. S is struggling quite a bit.

We can't forsee the adventures God has in store; can't guess at His plans. He has unfolded each girls life in a way that surprises us. We are ever so thankful to have been blessed to be the parents of such amazing and fabulous women. We are so very joyed to watch them grow and change. As hard as it is to let go, I am reminded they weren't really ours anyway.

So...I'm taking a breath, holding on while letting go. This year will unfold, regardless of if I want it to or not.


Away we go.....