Little Big Girl

Yesterday was a bit of an odd day. Yes, it was Father's Day, my typical day to rest, relax and let the family do nice things for me. What I got instead, was a nice long drive to Portland, to not exactly spend time with my daughter, but to.. send her away. Alone. A very strange thing for a parent to do for the first time.

The situation is simple: My folks decided to set a new standard where when a grandchild turns 12, they give them a paid trip to visit them in Colorado. Now, Amanda is not yet 12.. she turns 12 next month, but with an already full summer schedule, the only week we could find to send her was this week. And so, Fathers Day became the day for her departure.

What I didn't expect from the trip to the airport, was just how surreal it would be putting one of my kiddos on a plane to fly 1500 miles by herself. Of course she was all excited... this was her big way of exerting her "being more grownup", now that she has finished sixth grade. For me, all I could picture was holding the little newborn baby girl in my arms, not so long ago. It feels like just a few years since she was this little tiny thing in my arms, yet here she is... now a beautiful, tall "pre-teen" as she prefers to be called, and bucking for independence. My brain stayed tied up in circles as to how she could have gone from little kicking infant, to the tall girl she is now.. and how this could have happened so quickly!!! I know every parent goes through this.. but seriously.. where did all that time go?!

So this week, I am allowing her to be my blogger. Like I did with Little Calvin last week, she will be providing the blogs this week, keeping everyone informed as to how her first trip into the big world, away from her core family, goes. And with that... I give you: My Little Big Girl.. Take it away, Amanda.....


"On Sunday I got on a plane. It took me to Denver, Colorado so I could visit my grandparents. In the plane the stewardesses were really nice to me and gave me lots of treats. The only bad part was that I was the first one on and the last one off. After everyone was seated I found out who I was seated by. The first person on my left was like this 95 year old man who had a big thumb and a big bald spot on his head. The guy on my right was Hispanic and had hairs growing out of him. After I got off the plane relieved I saw the stewardess who told the first man waiting he could take whatever child he wanted. I ran to my grandma because I didn't want to go with him! We got my baggage right on time and then drove to Grandma's house. We ate lasagna for dinner then we had Grandpa open his cards for Father's Day. He got three of them... one from me, one from Dad and one from his lovely wife. Then I fell asleep and woke up too early this morning because of the sun in my eyes. I'll try another bed tonight. Grandpa thinks I'm like Goldilocks. Will I find the bed tonight that's just right?!!"