(A day off here in reporting…)
Back on board with the girls, after a day of travel from the bitterly cold and very windy northeast to the calm warmth of our Bahamian nest. A delayed flight prompted running in the airport in DC at a speed and distance I hadn’t attempted since high school, this time with a backpack and a full bladder for extra resistance. I felt like we were in a movie, complete with the ‘making it to the gate JUST in time’, and I for sure at one point looked back and asked if we still had Kevin with us.
That’s all behind me now as I sit in Hope Town harbor this morning and watch the turtles pop their heads up all around me while the sweet sound of the water lapping at the dinghy provides the soundtrack. (Ironically this ‘sweet lapping’ will no doubt prompt the girls to remind Andy to raise the dinghy in its davits tonight, as they hear it in stereo in their aft cabin. Whoops.)
We have yet to formulate an action plan for our short trip this year, but were greeted by two sets of friends yesterday afternoon, so there is plenty to do, and plenty of wonderful people to see if we stay here in Hope Town for a day or two. The 25 meter pool here, which was destroyed by Dorian five years ago, is now up and running, albeit a bit shallow (it’s been filling with a garden hose, so I imagine it’ll be full by late March). I know that Lily is anxious to keep her practices in before her next meet, which regrettably in my travel planning, is the day we get home. Whoops!
Yesterday was a big one for Lily, as she officially committed to her top choice school, and withdrew applications from the rest. Occidental College gets a good one, that’s for sure. She is excitedly already pouring over packing lists and timelines, with joy and likely a huge sense of relief that this arduous process/part time job of college applications is finally over.
My emotions are all over the place- excitement predominantly, because I know it’s such a good fit for her, and I have no doubt that she’ll have such incredible opportunities that she’ll be gung-ho to take advantage of. But wow, this next step in general for me, thinking of the fact that we’re on an official countdown of the last months she lives with us full-time is a bit overwhelming and time-flashing in a way that makes me truly wonder if it’s really here already. I am positive that I’ll be an actual wreck when the time comes closer to packing up and dropping her off, so I’m going to do my best in these next six months to keep my blubbering to a minimum so as to maximize the days left. I’ll just join Andy in the financialsobbing taking place as we wrangle how to help her pay for it without leaving school with a loan payment that’ll sink her. So at least THAT’S distracting!