Ode to September

Oh, September. Sweet, sweet September. School in full swing. Hot days and nights turning into nice cool days and very crisp nights. Bugs going crazy. People doing the crazy spiderweb dance (you know the one!). Ahhh.....

Dancer Daughter flew the coop; well, technically it was the last day of August but it seemed like September. It was a sad day for me but such an exciting day for her. A friend of mine had told me about her mission-daughter's departure. All of a sudden it hit my friend and the floor gates poured out in the middle of the airport. Now I understand my friend. The Thursday before our daughter left was a difficult [read weepy] day for me. So naturally I figured I'd be a rock at the airport. Oh, what  fool I was. Let me set the stage for you.

Upstage (inside the airport): Dancer Daughter is waiting in line to check her bags. In walk 50 or more very tall, very muscular men in casual sport team clothing forming a very long line behind her. (we found out they were a college football team from Baltimore)

Downstage: The rest of our family patiently waiting for her so we can give her one last hug goodbye. ONE.LAST.HUG. (do you see where this is going?) All the while trying to see past the very tall men to make sure she didn't have issues when she checked her bags.

Hubs: Where does she go when she is done here?
Me (since I flew from the airport before): She'll exit over there. (pointing) Then, she'll need to go through security next but we'll be able to say goodbye to her first because we can't go past security. SAY.GOODBYE. (insert panic and holding back the tears!)

Moral of this play? You're gonna cry. Just.deal.with.it.

She made it safely to her destination and has been extremely busy with staff training. Very.busy. (yes, today is the day for periods after each word. You.are.welcome.) I did have the pleasure of Skyping recently (what did people ever do without this useful tool?!). May I just say she is in her element? When she was in missions a few years ago, and now...she is just ebullient. It's like she is a different person. So confident. So happy. Okay, I'm not saying she wasn't confident and happy before. It's just different. In a this.makes.a.mom.happy.and.peace-filled.kind of way.

September 1st (day.after.her.leaving.) was deemed 'mental health day' by me. I napped. I read. I watched TV. I napped.

In other news: Firefighter boy had his wisdom teeth ripped yanked removed yesterday. Fun times. He did great. I did not, however. Do you know how much those four puppies cost?! They should have given me some laughing gas, too! Just kidding...not really.

After the surgery, we drove down the road to pick up his prescriptions. I was warned by the nurse that if the pharmacy tells me they do not have any meds for him to say, 'the nurse called in the scripts and had to leave a message...so check the voice mail.' Yup. That happened. I knew it would. It's.my.life. So instead of the simple 'go through the drive thru at the pharmacy and get home', it was more like, 'go through the drive thru and go park and wait 15-20 minutes'. In.the.rain. With.someone.who.has.gauze.in.his.mouth.and.wants.it.out.now. One for the scrapbook right there. Did I mention 'in.the.rain.' The kind of hard-driven pelting rain that makes a person, like me, need to use the "facilities"?! Welcome to my life, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Next week we start college visits with him. COLLEGE.VISITS.WITH.MY.BABY. Where did the time go? WHERE.DID.THE.TIME.GO. (hold on a minute...I need to go get a paper bag to breathe in to because I think I'm hyperventilating!)

Firefighter boy wants to be....are you sitting down for this? A.Firefighter/EMT/Paramedic. I know. I was just as surprised as I know you are to learn this. (insert lots of sarcasm) There is a school about four hours away that has a two to two and a half year program. Problem is...after I scheduled the visit I did a dumb thing. I looked online at reviews. The reviews are all over the board. Some scream to run away from this school as quick as you can. Others have nothing but high praise. So, I'm going to be taking along a blood-hound and my discerning magnifying glass on this tour! He is my baby, after all. I'm sure the blood sniffing dog will be a welcomed visitor, don't you?!

I am going to a one-day Beth Moore seminar with a friend this month. Don't shoot me or send me a nasty email but I just think she is ok. I've participated Bible Study classes using her books. I'm just saying I'm not all "ooo I'm going to swoon" over her. I'm going with an open mind. I'm sure I will learn many, many things. I'm just saying if it were not for my friend asking me and me getting to spend the day with this dear friend, I wouldn't have gone. But, I am saying that I will learn something. I promise.

Writer Daughter and I attended a lovely wedding last weekend. (sorry, I'm jumping around... welcome to the depths of my mind) The decorations were minimal but just enough. The bride's dress was beautiful, with a vintage look. Bouquets were modest and charming. It was laid-back yet classy. It really felt like you were participating in the wedding. And, best of all....it was 20-25 minutes top! The pastor delivered a simple yet meaningful message. It was realistic, to the point and personal to the bride and groom. He didn't drone on as some are prone to do. It wasn't a flashy wedding. It was simple and beautiful.

And, finally, we took our cheap, blue swimming pool down. FOREVER.down. Yep. Yet another sign of me getting old. Our children grow up, get jobs and the pool gets neglected. She lived a happy life with us for a time. Sure, hubs and I got into yelling matches when we tried to fix something on her but other than that....we had fun. Many happy memories. Lots of pictures of the kids enjoying her warm, but mostly cold, water. The pool is going to a good family. Maybe that family won't have yelling matches when the pool isn't "feeling well". Their neighbors can only hope.

If you have made it to the end of this droning post, congratulations. You need a reward. Have a cookie, cupcake or a cup of your favorite tea/coffee and high-five yourself. If you hear of someone needing help falling asleep, be sure to send them a link to this post!