Trip Home for Graduation #1

This has been a very busy spring for DD#1, with 5 AP exams, finals in all 5 classes, planning and preparing for the Prom, which was her Girl Scout Gold Award project, getting info. from Penn about her dorm room, roommates, food plans, classes, and everything else she'll need for college in the fall and preparing to say good-bye to friends in both the U.S. and Europe.

Between AP exams and finals, she and I were able to sneak away back to Elmhurst for nearly a week to attend the graduation of her boyfriend and all her good friends back at York High School. It was a great trip for both of us, although a little crazy, with jet lag in addition to all the things we wanted to accomplish in 5 days.

We were able to tour our Elmhurst house in preparation for our move home, which gave me a chance to see what needed painting, repairs, etc. We also got DD#3 registered for middle school and visited the high school to get DD#2 enrolled, signed up for her classes next year and even buy her some York-wear and some light summer (geometry) reading. DD#1 got to visit with her former counselor, who will be DD#2's counselor as well, as well as her two favorite math teachers. I had a chance to visit with a couple of my good friends during our trip and it was great to reconnect and catch up.

We got a lot of shopping done, getting DD#1 two new bathing suits, some books for me and lots of graduation cards and presents. We even had a fun dinner with one of DD#1's best friends and her family and attend a graduation party at another best friend's house. Over the weekend, we were able to attend DD#1's boyfriend's graduation party, which was a lot of fun. Then, on Sunday, was York's graduation, which was certainly bittersweet - all of her friends, many of whom I'd known for many years, but not DD#1, who would have loved to have been graduating from York that day. Although there were many great things about moving to Europe, DD#1 would have given them up at any moment to move back to Elmhurst and return to York, so it was hard to see what she'd been missing.

We ended the visit on a sweet note by spending much of the last day with Harmony, our former babysitter and pseudo-sister to all of my girls. She was in her last two weeks of pregnancy and feeling fat and uncomfortable, but she looked great. We took her to lunch at our favorite restaurant, Maggiano's, along with DD#1's boyfriend and best friend, and had a great time and wonderful food. It was wonderful to be back in Elmhurst and made me anxious to get back for good - it won't be long now!