Listen....

Can you hear it?

The quiet?

As sad as I am to see them leave......

I will say, I have needed a dose of alone for a few weeks now. Here is our 9th grader! Freshman. Oy. New outfit. New backpack.

"Ruler of the school" as she was saying last night,

until her anxiety started to get the best of her, and she got quiet and started to panic a bit.

She did eat this morning, and we got her to laugh. So hopefully all is well today.

Barely stopped this dude from running out the door. He doesn't struggle like K. does, but also his friends were outside on their bikes. He spiked his hair. Used his old backpack and could care less. Ah, the difference between boys and girls.

J and I are not having our fairytale day alone as we had planned. Aunt Flo changed my morning plans *grin* and J has been on the phone for the last 2 and a half hours with the Kia dealership, insurance co. and Kia warrenty people etc etc etc. The service manager in Va hasn't seen my car yet, but feels it is most likely the same fuel pump problem he has seen frequently lately.

Hopefully we can at least run some errands in a bit together, alone, with no whining or crying.

On another note, that I want to document, it is monumental for me....I realized last night that this was the first year, in the ten years since my mom has passed, that the anniversary passed and I DID NOT THINK ABOUT IT AT ALL.....could be that we were on vacation as usual, but this vacation was much busier than we usually are, and I didn't have time to think about what day it was - I don't know if that was it, or am I finally adjusting? It even took me a week to realize I hadn't thought about it. That is unreal to me. Wow. Good? Bad? I am not sure.