Emma gets a car and Rachael gets a new job

My adult children are out in the world doing things and I am proud of who they are.

During Emma's time between contracts she took the opportunity to visit long time friends, Melanie and Victoria in Chicago, and also a trip tp Philadelphia to visit Maura.

Emma has been working at in the State park system and signed another contract for the 2022 year. She decided it was time to finally get a car that she liked. she car hunted and did her research and arranged for the used car to be available at the closest Carmax for a test drive. She asked me to join her and be there for the purchase if she decided to get it. I was happy to join her and accompany her through the process. 

The Covid pandemic really restricted the car supply and the used car market has been very tight, but she found a 2013 Honda Civic. It fit her budget and her wish list and she made the purchase. She signed her first loan and drove away happy.

Her old 2010 Nissan Versa was a bottom of the line, crank window, manual lock vehicle that did the job. We had been looking for a used car for the girls, since the 2003 xtera had to be retired but we weren't having any luck. So when Emma got her new car, we bought her old car. I replaced the muffler, and got it registered, and now Megan is using it to get around. Rachael has been offered the car if she needs it but hasn't really used it.

Rachael is still living in her townhouse with friends and she got a new job in the new year. She is working in the bakery at Weiss grocery store. It is right behind her townhouse complex so she walks to and from work.

We go to visit her sometimes and it is always fun to see her. She has been doing some cake decoration and she likes her co-workers. Rachael has also taken a number of trips to Boston to visit Josh and has become a seasoned traveler on South West Airlines. So much so that they sent her 5 drink tickets in the mail. Tickets for alcohol! I was laughing but it took me a minute to get over that.

I am so proud of my kids.

Emma at 23

My firstborn has been out of the house for years now and still I feel her presence. The sight of a cup of milk causes her little voice to echo in my ears saying "my milk cup".  Items in a row bring me back to her duplo blocks lined up on the toy box asking Jim to make a train noise. The turquoise blanket throws me into her middle school years, and jeans in the hand me down bin hurl me into her high school years. I love the unprompted moments to experience her, despite not being in her regular presence. They are all good memories, even the memories of hard moments, because they are memories with her in them and thinking of Emma brings me joy. I am so glad we are still making memories together.

Emma is now 23. She lives in Baltimore City with two roommates and is working in the Maryland State Parks as a Ranger. It is fun to see her grow in her job and see her pride as she adds skills like tree felling, arc welding, and bobcat driving. In the fall she got to use her art education to run a series of hike and paint programs. This was a a program I really wanted to attend. She didn't want me to join the first one but I did attend one a few weeks in.

Painting En Plein Air was so fun and sparked some dormant art muscles that I hadn't stretched in a long time. I do artistic things regularly but it had been years since I had painted a real picture. It was a thrill to see how much my kids have helped me develop and become who I am. In each phase of being a mother, my girls have prompted me to expand and grow and enjoy and thrive. Giving and loving makes us become more fully who God designed. It is a treat to see how my daughters cooperate with this divine plan for me personally and an even bigger delight to see them step toward God's beautiful design.

I love to see and talk to Emma when we get the chance but I do wish it were more. I also wish she used the names of the people in her life when she tells stories. She shares things but always with a generic "co-worker" or "roommate" or "friend". It makes it hard to feel engaged in her life.  But I also see and hear Emma reflect fondly on her childhood and our relationship. She said that the song "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift always makes her cry and there is something in that reality that I hold onto. We are moving forward together and it is different but each day with you is still the best.

I had the best day with you today.

Emma turns 22

 This summer Emma moved out of her college apartment and into an apartment in Baltimore with 2 of her roommates, Courtney and Tori. Emma and her roommates enlisted family and friends and we all descended on the Towson apartment at Rodgers Forge. We were all wearing masks and we tried not to linger. They had coffee and donuts for all of us and we earned it through manual labor. The new apartment is a 3 bedroom unit on the top two floors of a stand alone house, where the owners live on the bottom floor. Emma has the 3rd floor converted attic space for her bedroom. It had crazy narrow stairs that  formed wedges in the turn. It was not easy to carry furniture up and we were grateful that she doesn't have a lot. Emma's friends entertained Johanna throughout the day but I think she crossed a few lines occasionally. Emma's friends were so kind and everyone really pitched in to get the moving done. It is a good feeling to know your kids have good friends and supportive families. 

Em got settled in her new apartment, kept working at the same Persian restaurant Villagio Cafe, and shifted to a non-student schedule. I think she likes being able to cook, and create. She is sliding more fully into adulthood everyday. We had her over on Labor Day to celebrate her 22nd birthday. We had a beautiful brunch with fresh fruit, chocolate zucchini bread, bacon, eggs and bagels. We toasted to Emma's  new year with mimosas and then we spent the afternoon playing games together. 

Emma I wish you a very Happy Birthday! May God Bless you and Keep you!

Emma's College Graduation

Our Emma has graduated from college with two Bachelor Degrees!

I can't even express how immensely proud I am of her.

Her final semester of Towson University was nothing of what she expected, no final art projects of large scale prints or big research papers, no big events, no picking up college regalia, no graduation buzz, no parties, no walking across the stage. Instead she was sheltered in place, restricted from campus and distant from friends, she did online classes and small sketches and odd online exams. Covid-19 changed everything about college, but it didn't prevent Emma from completing two Bachelors programs.

Emma received a Bachelor of Science in Art & Design, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Her college ending wasn't what I expected either. I had been looking forward to seeing her with her friends and being with her on campus. Emma went off to college four years ago and her life there was not something I was apart of. We stayed in touch of course and she visited home but college was separate. I hadn't realized until it was canceled that I had been anticipating a glimpse of Emma on campus.

 

With the Graduation itself canceled, I wanted to make sure that the accomplishment didn't go un-acknowledged. I struggled with how to celebrate, but after coordinating with Emma we decided to pick a day and go up to Towson. We threw her our own party. I got a cap and tassel online and ordered yard signs and a banner. I made lunch and the family piled in the van to go to her apartment. while we ate we watched a slideshow of pictures of Emma through the years. And watched an online version of the Alma Mater by the TU chorale.  It was rainy but we were took advantage of a break in the rain to go to campus. Emma hadn't been since March when they shut everything down and it was fun to have her share stories. We visited a few spots on campus and took photos.We ended with a game of Harry Potter Clue and cake. I wanted to commemorate her graduation, and we did.

Did I say that I am proud of her? I mean, Really proud of her.
Congratulations Emma!

Emma turns 21

Sept 6, 2019

Emma has stepped beyond my constant touch. She left my daily schedule and constant awareness.  But she has not left my constant love and care. She is in my thoughts throughout my day and she is always in my prayers.

My "milkcup" girl is now lactose intolerant. She drinks her coffee black. She is a thrifter and is always wearing a second-hand treasure. Emma is happiest using her hands making beautiful things. Lately she has taught herself beading, making earrings and other jewelry. Emma has also turned into a plant lover and has filled her apartment with pots of growing lovelies. She talks of someday having a small cottage, surrounded by plants, growing things and making things. She tells me only a little of her life, but I love the glimpses. She is a dreamer and is at point where roads are being chosen.

Emma wants to take a break from higher ed. Her original path of becoming an Art Therapist is going to be back burnered, at least for now.  She may look for a job that will pay for her Masters program and she may look into doing research. In the mean time she'll find a job. I told her that she does not need to stake her identity on her job. It is ok to just have "a job" that makes all of the other things possible. Her vocation may not be career centered but may be the life outside of paid work. Emma is incredibly responsible and frugal and realistic about her budget so I know she will find something that makes the rest possible. She has gifts and was made for a purpose.

We weren't able to get together on her birthday, because she had plans to hang out with friends and visit a few bars. I was delighted to hear that all of the middle school squad, came from their perspective colleges to celebrate with her and her roommates. I love that her 6th grade friends are still in her life. When she told me about it later, she said she was happy because both the middle school squad and the college roommates commented to her, that they liked her other friends. She was telling me this as we had dinner with the family at La Palapa's. I got snippets of her story amid the chaos of the table and sips of margarita.

A Sister Birthday Snuggle

Cheers to Emma on her 21st Birthday!

Emma's new Apartment

August 2019

With Senior year of college about to begin, Emma's lease was up and she decided that it was time for a new place and new roommates. 4 friends will share a 2 bedroom/ 2 bath apartment but the best part is that it is really close to work and campus and the campus shuttle stops nearby. Her new lease started 2 weeks before her old lease so it gave her some time to get all of her stuff over. 

Moving requires a crew, so Papa, the sisters, and I went up on a Saturday and spent the day working on moving the bigger pieces. We made a few trips from her old to her new apartment and got the big stuff done. The one big thing we weren't moving was a bed. The bed she had been using belonged to Mary Ellen, her old roommate, so Emma was in search of a new bed. 

We grabbed lunch at Panera in-between loads. And although Emma still had many small items to pack and move, we were proud of a hard days work. The search for a bed stayed with me, so I decided to do some online searching and I found a few second hand options. Within a few days I secured one, and Jim and I picked it up and got it loaded into the van. Then on Sunday, the girls (this time including Rachael, who had been working the previous weekend) joined me to meet Emma and deliver her bed.

It didn't take us long to get the bed up the stairs and set up in Emma's room. 

Knowing that she had a good place to sleep let me sleep well that night.

Summer Mondays with Emma

Summer 2019

This summer Emma was living and working in Towson, and didn't have a regular schedule that brought her down to Catonsville. Sisters though are a good reason to visit. Em and I talked at the beginning of the summer and determined that what was a good night for her to come to Catonsville. Every Monday Emma drove down, sometimes in the early afternoon, and stayed all evening, sometimes she even spent the night. Some night she slept on the pullout couch in the basement and sometimes on Megan's foldout couch in her room.

 When Emma visited all of the sisters came out of their perspective places. Games were played, shows were watched, books were read, sister piles happened, art projects were done. It was good. Very Good.

We took one of those Mondays to host our Harry Potter Birthday party. The girls pulled out all of their favorite Harry Potter items and decked the dining room with vignettes of the Wizarding World. Jim set the girls up with some cash and they took a trip to the grocery store for the ingredients of stew and shepherds pie. I came home from work to a kitchen in full swing. It was a bit chaotic and some of Mrs. Weasley's skills would have come in handy.

Johanna is in the midst of reading the 1st book in the series and participated in the prep with more awareness and excitement. She created a 9 3/4 platform for everyone to run through in the hall as we got ready for take our seats for a delicious and engaging dinner party.

I can't help but smile with my girls. They are so delightful.