Friday, July 15, 2011

Pedal to the metal ... oh boy!

In case you were wondering, NO -- I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I just haven't posted in a few ..... oh dear ..... YEARS.

Let's just sum up the last 35 months by saying this: my life has been going at break-neck speed. I'm thinking Bandit (a la Burt Reynolds in his Bandit days) and the Duke Boys (a la "Dukes of Hazzard") look like a pack of snails compared to what's happening with Team Rako. Here's a super-quickie timeline over the last year for your reading pleasure --->

August 2010: Daniel's wish is granted by A Special Wish Foundation. Yep - hanging with Toby Keith rocked that boy's world.

September 2010: Celebrated 20 years of (mostly) married bliss by a trip to Paris (France, not Texas).

October 2010: Hysterectomy. I do NOT highly recommend it.

November 2010: Daniel's 17th surgery which had a gazillion complications. This 9 hour surgery results in two months of bed rest, four months of home schooling. This involved Thanksgiving dinner in his bedroom. Not pretty, trust me.

Fall 2010: Morgan is finishing up her internship with Congressman Pat Tiberi - very exciting time for her, but also insanely busy. In the midst of ALL of this, she is applying to 11 colleges. Yes - I said 11 - that is NOT a typo.

March 2011: GOOD NEWS! We learn that Daniel's bladder issues are NOT going to adversely impact his longevity. NOT SO GOOD NEWS! We learn his kyphosis is advancing at an alarming (read: dangerous) rate. An invasive spinal fusion and kyphectomy is planned for end of Summer / early Fall.

Spring 2011: Lots of Morgan's "last time she'll do this or that" going on. Had to make decisions about the rest of her life - waiting on college acceptance letters and financial packages is a bit nerve-wracking for EVERYONE.

April 2011: Morgan decides to go to American University in Washington, D.C. She selected a multi-disciplinary major Communications, Law, Economics & Government(CLEG) with a minor in political science in the School of Public Affairs. The pride I feel about her accomplishments is far beyond what is appropriate.

May 2011: Graduation festivities (including a killer party!) ensue. Also enjoy Claire's final dance recital (she says she's retiring at the ripe old age of 9). I spend most of the month dehydrated from all of the tears I shed.

June 2011: Morgan graduates from New Albany High School with honors and a million awards and distinguished medals (see post from April). She is now interning with the State of Ohio Auditor. Seriously - where did this child come from? We go to the beach for a week to de-stress only to have Daniel have a flare-up with his spinal issues. Awesome. Nothing helps parents de-stress like a kid with a serious medical issue 13 hours from home. (NOTE: This may or may not but definitely is me being sarcastic.)

July 2011: College orientation for Morgan in Washington, D.C. was a crazy mix of fun, excitement, anxiety and sadness. Watching this incredible young woman in action makes my heart sing. But can someone please tell me what happened to my gorgeous little girl twirling around in a princess dress? Really - when did she morph into such a smart, remarkable, STRONG woman?

Claire has retired from dance and now she wishes to end her soccer career. Jigga whaaaa? Long - sometimes tearful - discussions going on in our house right now about the importance of being involved and "belonging to" a team. Not sure what she will sign up for this Fall, but it will be SOMETHING. More to come on this front ...

So here we are in the MIDDLE of July there's more action in the next few weeks than I can actually think about. We still have Daniel's 14th birthday party, Daniel throwing out the first pitch at the Chillicothe Paints game and Daniel's 18th surgery to look forward to in the upcoming days. Overwhelming doesn't even begin to cover it, friends!

So congratulations!! Lucky for you readers, you'll get to hear all about our adventures on this blog. Because as a dear friend said to me just the other day, "Blogging is cheaper than therapy!"

Ta-ta for now,
Jill