four years already?

It's just about time to stand up tall and be a Very Proud Parent. My baby, Lauren, will graduate from UNM in Albuquerque on Friday. If I had buttons, they'd be busting. She's a little less than excited at the moment because it's still Finals Week and she has two more tests to go. But in a few short days she'll be able to catch her breath, celebrate four years of hard work paying off, and then leap into action again as she moves out of Kappa and into her first shared house with a couple of friends. She's really ready to be out on her own. Of course she still needs to find a job, but I'm hoping that graduation gifts will tide her over for a couple of weeks until she can get organized. Remember being that young? We all made it somehow, and I know she will too. In fact, I know she'll be just fabulous!

Rick and Julia and I are heading down on Friday morning. Can't wait. This is a big deal, and besides, it's always nice to get out of town, if only for one night. And the other happy thing about the trip is that we're picking Heidi up and bringing her home with us. For keeps! So Lauren's moving out, but we'll have a new "baby" in the house. Nothing like a funny little dog to ease the empty nest blues.

I'll have a full report and pictures when we get back. And if anyone would like to send my girl a card or personal greeting, I'll be happy to forward them to her. Email me and I'll send you my address.