and so it begins

yesterday i went to the mailbox and pulled out a large envelope from one of the two colleges to which my daughter applied. i knew instantly what it contained because everybody knows that when u get accepted to a college u get a large envelope and when u get rejected u get the smaller one with just a letter saying sorry...

so i brought it into the apt. and i called upstairs to her that she needed to come downstairs right then. she got all panicked because i'd been home since Wed. after injuring my back at work -- and she figured i'd fallen and couldn't get up (said with that annoying Urkel voice).

she stopped halfway down when she saw i was holding up a large envelope, and started to get all excited. she opened the envelope and tears came into her eyes and i said, "what" -- even though i knew that "what" was a given. we both ended up laughing and crying and hugging and omygosh, if i'd had a camera handy i'd have taken a photo of that look on her face when she opened the envelope and read its contents.

and so it begins... she's on her way to becoming an art student at an art college, and what fun she will have, and what fun she is looking forward to having. and i'm going to learn to let go in a bigger way now because its her adventure and not mine. and i'm excited for her and happy for her and kinda sad for me -- but more excited and happy for her than i am sad for me because i know this is a fulfillment of a desire that's been in her heart for a long time. and i'm so proud of her, but that's just one of a myriad of my emotions ...

and so ... it begins ...