The Difference A Year Makes

I'll admit it; I was SO sad this time last year as we prepared to launch our little girl out of the nest and into the world. I cried through the melancholy month of May at every last:  Last PROM, last Academic Banquet, last UIL competition, last Band Banquet, last AP test, last lunch...then her birthday party as she turned 18 and graduation all in one fell swoop Memorial Day weekend.  I. was. SO. so. sad!

Click Image To Check Out Rick Devera Photography

Conversely, she was SO happy. We'd done our job and she was ready! And she went off and soared through her freshman year; yesterday we went to Austin to check her out of the dorms and bring her home for the summer. What a nice Mother's Day gift that was! And what a difference a year makes. Our daughter had a wonderful first year of college at UT. She had so many positive experiences and made some lifelong friendships. She was blessed with an amazing roommate. She became a member of TBS, a service sorority with her band family, she marched with the Longhorn Band, she stayed active with Ignite, a faith-based group with whom she's returning as a Counselor for their four-day summer retreat for incoming freshman, and she spent countless hours in the architecture studio creating, learning, and growing. She even learned to appreciate country music and dance the two-step! We are excited (and admittedly a bit nervous) for our little girl to be back home for a few months and we're eager to get acquainted with the adult that she's become. 

From Crayons . . . To College . . . In the Blink of an Eye!
(Photo by Rick D Photography)

For those of you with little ones, hold their hands a little longer, snuggle them a little tighter, affirm them a little bit more, pray with them daily, and don't blink, because life is fleeting and the years fly by at warp speed.

Kaitlyn's Event Center Arboretum

What a difference a year makes. Carpe Diem!