November 3

Abby is 20. Twenty, which means we became parents 20 years ago. In some ways it feels like minutes; in others, closer to a century. 

All in all it was a laid back kind of birthday for my girl. We picked her up from her dorm at 9:30 this morning and drove over to IHOP for brunch to satisfy her hankering for a strawberry cheesecake waffle.

From there we went to Costco, where she picked up a variety of sweet treats and snacks to stock her room. (Note that these two activities featured her first outfit of the day: a lovely, flowy, lightweight dress in a pale shade of pink. She didn't make this one, but I bet she could have.) We dropped her booty off at her room, where she changed into outfit number two, which consisted of a fuzzy pink sweater and jeans.

Then we hit Sonic for slushes and returned to our hotel, where we watched two episodes of "Phineas and Ferb" (chosen by Abby), sang karaoke (seriously, ask Isaac to sing "Let It Go" for you sometime), and played a series of music recognition games on YouTube. And then it was off to dinner at Red Robin. We closed out the evening with presents (which ended with her donning outfit number 3, a green floral dress that served as one of said-gifts) and cheesecake.

The crowds at IHOP and Costco aside, it was a quiet day. I didn't spend a whole lot of time reflecting on the occasion as the hours passed, but I know that I'm blessed with and by Abby, and that that's been the case since she entered the outside world 20 years ago today. She's a remarkable young woman who has grown and changed so much over the past few years. She's cheering and meeting new people and building new relationships and excelling in school, all while nurturing her existing friendships. She's also kind and compassionate and intelligent and brave, and although I know that thoughts of the future give her twinges of trepidation, I also know that God has great things in store for her and pray that she will be able to rest in that truth.

I love you, Abby. Happy 20th birthday! Welcome to your next decade of this wonderful life.

November 2

Today we arose at a reasonable hour (which, if you were me, meant 9ish) and headed over to campus for brunch. Pre-football game cheer prep meant Abby couldn't join us in the dining hall, but we assuaged her disappointment by delivering a sausage egg McMuffin to her as she headed to the stadium. Once set loose inside the unlimited food gallery, Brady consumed more than his weight in scrambled eggs, sausage, French toast (which Abby was bummed to miss), apples, a donut, and probably something else I'm forgetting. I'm actually still surprised (and marginally alarmed) by how much food he managed to put away. He's definitely in rapid growth mode these days.

With bellies adequately filled, we took the short walk over to the stadium for the game's noon start time. By the time the final whistle blew, we'd seen the Thunder crush their opponents. But more importantly, we got to see Abby cheer in person. And it was so, so sweet to see her living out a wish (I don't want to go so far as to call it a dream, per se) she's had for a long time. Given how shy she often is, it's so wonderful to see how God worked in her life and coaxed her to make it a reality.

Then we took a walk around campus while she changed clothes, enjoyed a Target run, and returned to campus to see her room. (Which, I think, is actually quite nice. She had a slanty ceiling since she's on the top floor of her building, but it's a cozy space that doesn't feel too small.) Then it was off to dinner at Outback, a stroll through Hobby Lobby, and a run through the Sonic drive thru for slushes. 

And then it was back to our hotel, where we watched the last half of Uncle Buck on TV while Abby got reacquainted with BearBear. When it ended, Adam ran her back over to campus while I accompanied the Brositos to the fitness center.

All in all, it was a good day. A blessed day. And I am so grateful for the time with my people. The moments are a gift of the highest order.

November 1

It's Family Weekend at Wheaton, so that's where we are, visiting our very favorite college student for a few days.

Given that last year's travels for the same event were more than a bit long and hairy, this go-round's experience could be accurately described as silky smooth: no delays despite a full flight (and we even got to Midway 20 minutes ahead of schedule), quick rental car retrieval, and easy drive to campus. Badda bing, badda boom.

After we retrieved Abby from her dorm, we headed over to Culver's for dinner. It was only when we all got out of the minivan for the first time that Abby realized that she's now the short kid. (Brady's grown quite a bit of late.) There was a little moaning and groaning from one and triumphant laughter from the other but I think she's secretly pleased.

We chatted a little about class and cheer over burgers and cheese curds (yum) and pretzel bites (double yum) and ice cream (delicious but probably overboard). And then we dropped her back off at her dorm for the night. We'll see her cheer for the first time tomorrow at the football game (yay!). And then... probably hang out and do some prep work (aka wrap presents) for her birthday on Sunday.

It's a blessing to be able to be here. It's a blessing to have completed uncomplicated travels (and seriously, after some of the past boondoggles we've experienced, that's a huge Praise the Lord thing). And it's a blessing to see these three together again and to see how happy they are to be together.