Empty Nest But Heart Full of Love.

This morning we woke up to a house that was strangely quiet. Erica left for her third year at Western on Saturday and yesterday we dropped Sydney off for her first year at Queen's.  One is 3 hours west of us and the other 2 1/2 hours east of us. 

It's not like today is unexpected, we knew it was coming for years and really we've been preparing the girls for this from birth but maybe it was us that we needed to prepare.  Where did the time go? And, how did it seem to happen so fast?

Even through the many to do lists and numerous trips to the store over the summer, to stock up for Sydney's dorm room, it still never really sunk in like it did yesterday.  I'm sure over the next few weeks we'll feel it even more.

As we unloaded her fresh new bedding and pillows into her new room, helped her get connected to the internet, figure out the tangle of cords and plugs and fill up drawers full of clothes I was focused on what we needed to get done.  I was excited for Sydney and the year ahead of her, maybe even slightly envious of her year at residence (something I missed out on as I commuted to University).  My mind was less about how I was going to feel about it all and filled more with excitement for her mixed in with good measure of parental worry. It wasn't until we had stopped half way home at a roadside stop that I could feel the tears welling in my eyes.  Even now as I write this I go from smiling as I think about them, and how proud I am of who they are and what they are accomplishing, to tear filled eyes of how much I will miss them. 

How did these two little cuties...

...turn into these grown up beauties so quickly?!

My heart is so full of love for these girls.  I'm so excited for them for their future and so proud that they are my daughters. I am the luckiest mom.

I'm also glad I was able to spend so much time with them over the summer.  I'll never regret stepping back from my work over the last month and I especially enjoyed our family trip to the Bahamas in August. New designs and ideas that have been scribbled down on paper over the last few weeks can now come to reality and Al and I have some fabulous travel plans coming up.  Mix in our ever active little dog and our September will be quite full but quiet.  Tomorrow it will be time to hook up the speaker in my studio, create a new playlist and fill up the house with some music as I get lost in beads and wire again.