Birthday in Absentia! :o(

It's Brenna's birthday today and it's the first birthday in 19 years that she hasn't been with us!  I am SAD!  She's flying home, to Radford, today from the Virgin Islands.  I don't know when we'll get to see her next.  I sent a birthday care package with all her presents, I texted her and Hey Telled her and hopefully we'll get to FaceTime tomorrow while she opens her presents, but it's just not the same!  I guess it's time we started getting use to it, but this is the part of growing up I don't like!

I can't believe my baby girl is 19 years old!  It doesn't seem possible.  I feel like just the other day we were worrying about pacifiers, potty training and temper tantrums.  Then it was multiplication facts, first boy/girl dances and braces.  And now it's study abroad tours, first apartments and career choices.  How does this happen?
I must say I've loved all the stages of Brenna, except middle school and freshman year, and was sad to see them all go by, except for middle school and freshman year.  Each stage was a new adventure, a new challenge and new opportunity for me to feel completely inadequate, but we made it through them all.

I don't know if it was good parenting, good genes or good luck, but it is amazing and satisfying and reassuring to watch and see what an amazing young woman she's become.  She's smart and funny and kind and thoughtful and I'd like to think that even if she wasn't my daughter - she might be my friend.







I love you Brenna Girl.  I'm so proud of the woman you are becoming and I can't wait to see you and to see what you are going to do next with your life.  Thank you for letting me be your mom and your friend!