Graduation and other Life Happenings

Briana, my 2nd oldest, graduates from our homeschool this year!  How did this happen?  She's my baby!  I keep telling her she's too little to graduate.  You know how it works--your oldest is the one whom you expect to accomplish all the firsts in record time.  You push-no, no, no,--you "encourage" them (yes, that's better) to sit up, walk, talk, learn to do this, learn to do that.   The first one graduates, and you're like--"See this is my oldest child.  She's  GRADUATING".  Then the baby comes along, and she's......well....the baby.  AND SHE'S TOO LITTLE TO GRADUATE!!!    Yes, I do know that technically, she's not the baby.  She's the 2nd of four.  But, she was the baby for 8 years before Marissa came along, so she will always be my baby.  Now before anyone misreads, this has nothing to do with how much I love and adore the oldest or the baby, or any in between.  It's just how you see your children in the birth order.  It is something that I try to stay mindful of as I parent them all.
Briana is enjoying her senior year.  She only had one and a half credits to finish, so her required "school" load has been light.   It has been decided that she will go to college, because she has a specific goal in mind.  She wants to be an interior designer.  We have discussed and considered apprenticeships, but have decided to go the college route.  So, in addition to her one credit left this semester, she is also studying for CLEP tests.  She's studying for Composition 1 and U.S. History 1 right now.  If those go well, there are several others that she will probably try.  The rest of her basic courses she will work on at the local community college next year. 
We went last week to have her senior portraits made.  She had great fun with them, and they came out so gorgeous.  It was so hard to choose.  They will be ready for pickup in 2 weeks.   Briana will also be participating in the Smoky Mountain Home Education Association graduation ceremonies in May.  We have started having once a month meetings to prepare for those.   She also made the decision, along with her teacher, to have a senior piano recital, so she has been busy, busy practicing.  She will play 6-8 songs.  Two will be piano/violin duets with another homeschooler.  She is on the praise dance team that our church is having for the Easter musical, and she's also looking forward to her senior ballet recital.  Of course, she still helps me a bunch and volunteers at an assisted living center serving dinner.  It's a fun, busy, and blessed time for her. 
Both of the older girls spent several hours Thursday as volunteers manning phones at a Compassion International marathon at a Knoxville radio station.  They each sponsor a little girl, Ashley's in Ethiopia, and Briana's in Columbia, and they just love them so much.  I have a child, too, in India.  The 2 day goal for the marathon was to have 125 sponsored.  They ended up with over 350. 
I just LOVE being the mother of these girls.  They were fun, and I loved being their mom when they were little, too, but I love it even more now.  They have matured into beautiful young women.  They are fun, mature, Godly, friends.  Of course, their issues are more complex-adult issues that require so much wisdom and prayer, and sometimes long middle-of-the-night conversations, but I am so honored, and love helping them work through them, chit-chatting with them, discussing scripture, lying in the bed giggling, and the relationship we have.  They both have hearts of gold, love the Lord, and love serving others. 
Personally, I didn't really do a whole lot this week--nothing newsworthy, at least.  So, I have lived here vicariously through my daughters.  I did have a splurge of sorts today.  I spent approximately 3 1/2 hours on the phone today.  I don't talk on the phone too often, so that was a really long time.  First I visited with Amy Beth for quite a while.  I really, really enjoyed our conversation.  Then a friend that I haven't talked to in over a year called, and we talked for about 2 1/2 hours at least.  As little as I got done today, it was so worth it.  Talking to these ladies was so encouraging and lifted my spirits today.
My "Big Girls"

Letitia