She's off!

Katie, our 14 year old, will be taking off at 9:05pm this evening (or at least that's what the ticket says) on a ten day trip with the local Youth Orchestra to England and then France.  This will be her first plane ride - ever.  She is the first in our family to get a passport and travel outside the United States. 

And the funny thing is...people keep asking me....How are YOU?

I'm fine.  Really.  I'm thrilled.  As I watched Katie board the bus that would take her to the airport my thoughts traveled back to when she was 9 years old and had the opportunity to go to sleep away camp - the same wonderful camp her sister went to.   But she didn't want to....she wasn't ready.  And yet when the family all went to drop off her big sister....Katie cried and cried.  So many questions went through my mind...why is she crying?  Should I have encouraged her more?  Maybe she was ready?  But I didn't think she was really ready either. 

 She is ready now.