The home stretch of high school

Here she is. The senior. Last semester of high school. She doesn't like this picture. It was a quick take picture for a scholarship application...I think she threw on the sweater at the last minute because we realized a t-shirt picture didn't look professional. She stood against the wall in our dining room and "snap" the picture was done. 

She got accepted to BYU, and there was much celebration. There was only about two seconds of hesitation when her finger hovered over the "accept" button. Should she wait to hear from UVA? Nope. Click "accept"!

Since then it has been a flurry of scholarship essay writings and applications. Nearly every evening Madi asks me to read through an essay or sign a stack of completed applications. Hours of work. But they are paying off. So far, she has won three scholarships: Daughters of the American Revolution, Sigma Mu Mu, and Lee Jackson Essay contest. 

She found a roommate through a BYU Instagram search which reminded me strangely of a speed dating experience. Technology is amazing, and Madi and Mackenzie (from Houston, TX) have already signed up for housing together. Heritage Halls filled up fast, so they settled for Hinckley Hall in Helaman Halls. 

This girl has focus and purpose. I am thrilled for her. And as I watch her pursue her goals with determination and self-motivation, I am a proud mama.

This is such a mixed-emotion time. Of course, I'm thrilled for the future...for the next chapter of her life with college, learning, friends, and independence. But how strange it is to realize she will spend more of her life out of my home than she spent in my home. I will miss her. Dearly. I will always cheer her on...and we will (thanks to the beauty of smartphones) stay in touch easily. But it will be different.

So how do I reconcile the two "Madis"? The Madi as a baby and child and adolescent. Her very existence affected every part of my daily life. To the adult Madi. Who will forever be connected to me, but with a natural, and necessary "disconnect." I suppose, I will just be grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to mother her and grateful to see the person she is becoming.

Spring Break (2017) - A Catch-up Post

Furry running companions led us through through the sleepy streets of Fort Payne and past the spooky, abandoned hospital.

Birmingham, Alabama greeted us with green. The lime green of the newest spring leaves. My eyes, still used to the browns of winter from the north took refuge in the green. After touring the museum across the street from the infamous church it felt strange to linger in warm sunshine and lush greens. My mind wrestled with the hurt and hate documented in the museum while listening to the laughter of Charlotte and Joseph as they posed with the statues.

Grandad and Nana met us with the biggest hugs when we arrived...at 10pm Saturday night. I felt truly welcomed. Spring in Vicksburg is lovely. The blossoms sent their petals spinning through the afternoon air showering us with my favorite kind of "snow" storm.

Southern-style pigtails for our alligator swamp tour. The hungry boors and friendly racoons were my personal favorites.

I felt like a teenager when Elise and I snuck out of the hotel with Karen, Glen, and Joseph at 9pm to explore New Orleans at night. We ate warm beignets at Cafe Beignet on Royal St to the sound of live jazz. Spontaneous parades of bicycles of blinking lights and glow sticks surprised us; the riders blasted music from a boombox. Darth Vader danced to music on a side street. We averted our eyes or made quick detours out of some of the more "colorful" stores.

A tour of the McRaven House with the girls on our last day in Vicksburg. We pried the tour guide for ghost stories even though it wasn't the official ghost tour.

A few more highlights:
Walking across the Selma bridge.
Sonic stops. Many of them! Jackpot of extra cookie dough mix-in.
Karen's food finds including Clumpies ice cream.
Grandad driving over an alligator in the middle of the highway...and feeling the bump as we did the same!
Southern food: hush puppies, fried catfish, and fried green tomatoes on our last night in Vicksburg.