New Beginnings

Hurricane Irene is headed for the East Coast and so I headed for home yesterday afternoon. I had been in Baltimore, getting Mary settled in her first apartment. I had planned to leave after dinner and drive partway home, but decided to get on the road a few hours early and get out ahead of the rain. I pulled into our drive at 11:59 p.m., happy to be home.

But my heart is hurting a bit. I woke up missing Mary. If only we had one more morning to snuggle together and talk about what we were going to do today....

Mary, Maggie and Jack had brunch with us last Sunday. It may be a while before we are all together again...

...But life goes on. Mary starts her junior year as a graphic design major at MICA on Monday. After living in the dorms for two years, she and roommate Hanna have moved into a third-floor apartment about a half mile from campus in the Mount Vernon cultural district. It has hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a tiny fire-escape balcony. As of yesterday, it also had a bed and mattress from IKEA, a love seat, a bookcase with baskets and red bedside table. A special thank you goes out to friends Hanna and John for putting all the parts and pieces together. (I'm hoping Mary will send a photo and blog post so all can see her new digs.)

Before Mary left for school, she googled her address to confirm the zip code and discovered that Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, grew up in her very apartment building. She took that as a good sign that her life was destined to be interesting this year. I hope it is, in all the best possible ways.

So here's to first apartments, new school years, being 20-years-old and up for grand adventures. Have fun baby. Be safe. xxx