School Days....

O.K. I can report that I have both girls back into school.

I cannot say, however that I have been the calmest of people during this whole process.

Ask my husband.

Here is a rundown of the last few days.

Friday. Doug has to work all weekend, he can't help us move Lauren to school.

Doug doesn't have to work all weekend, he traded shifts and can now help us.

Doug has to work all work all weekend, they are no longer allowed to trade shifts at the last minute.

Doug will go into work EARLY and finish up in time to drive with us to take Lauren back to school.

Lauren needs her passport.

Friday she makes an appt. to get it renewed.(Might I add that this is the day before we take her back to school?) The post office does not like the birth certificate she shows them and is sent to Hall of Records across town, where she waits for 2 hrs. to get a different copy. She is very entertained while waiting, as there are several groups of people waiting to get married. Lauren decides that this is definitely NOT the way she wants to have her wedding.

She rushes back to the post office, opens her wallet to pay for the renewal of her passport and the woman behind the counter spies Lauren's old passport in her wallet. "oh dear." says the woman. "You all ready had a passport? I don't think I will tell you what you could have avoided doing this afternoon down at the Hall of Records had I known you had a passport......"

I can't really say I began Saturday morning well. It went something like this:

6:45 a.m. I hear weights clanking and it wakes me up. What??? What is Doug still doing home? He was supposed to go into work early to get HOME early.

I stagger downstairs and greet my husband with, "What are you still doing home?"

Unbeknowst to me, he was up half the night taking call from the hospital.

Whatever. 

We have to take our DAUGHTER to SCHOOL.

Naaah. More like this:

Lauren begins packing Saturday morning.

We are leaving whenever Doug finishes work. On Saturday.

Did I mention she BEGAN packing Saturday morning?

Did I mention Dad also wanted her car washed before leaving?

Yup....

Lauren and I pack up the car (after she talked Brenna into helping her wash the car) and I take one look at her shoe box and say, "did you go through these shoes?" No. "Let's do it now." Shoes begin flying out of the box onto the driveway and I manage to keep throwing out her shower shoes, which she keeps picking up off the driveway.

Doug gets home and we leave at a good time, and hit lots of traffic.

Lauren's dorm is fabulous, it is the one that got the make over during the summer.

She's ecstatic to see all her friends, her new room mate is a doll.

We put everything away and say to our eldest, "Do you want to get groceries?"" No... I can do that later." "Do you want to get dinner?" "No....I all ready made plans with my friends."

She has a car this year, can you tell?

So we left.

Sunday is the day before Brenna begins school. She is happy and excited. I feel like I will vomit at any given moment. I have scenarios of all sorts running through my mind. What if she gets separated from her buddy and doesn't know where to go? What if she whips out her cell phone and uses it? Where will she put her bag? Should she use a locker? It's all the way upstairs. No way can she get there and to her first class on time. Can she get to her friends on time and have a snack? Does she know where the bathrooms are??? What if she is exhausted from keeping up with "typical" students all day. It's supposed to be over 100 degrees today. Will she get overheated at lunch time?

You get the picture.

I snap at Doug most of the day, who graciously asks me if I need a hug. To which I reply, " NO."

Brenna goes happily off to bed and promptly falls asleep.

I do, eventually. Until 4 a.m.

Don't even ask what was going through my mind at 4 a.m. 

At those hours of the night, most people's thoughts aren't pretty.

I eventually go back to sleep and get up early and get Brenna up. (Her alarm didn't work.) 

She wakes up with a smile.

As we are leaving (on time!!!) I can't find my car keys. I can't find the spare car keys. The minutes are ticking away....no car keys. I am praying fervently to SEE the car keys and I hear Brenna yell, "Here they are, Mom!!" Sure enough right where I left them yesterday.

In the lock of the front door.

We make it to school in time and as Brenna takes a look at all the students in the main hallway she says, "Oh. My."

Her buddy is there and ready and willing and off they go, arm over shoulders to face a brand new day.

Maybe I'll go back to bed.