That Raccoon Looks Like a Carlos to Me.

So yesterday was a very eventful day. My step daughter (who does not live with us full time), who is a senior in high school, has finally decided that it's TIME to figure out a plan for college. And if you know anything about college, people normally start preparing for this, oh, round about their sophomore or junior years in high school. They typically don't start a month before graduation. So, needless to say, we're a little late for the party. But now that we've officially gotten an invite to that party, we're doin' it up double time!

We spent the day yesterday touring a school here in DFW. It was pretty neat. We have a lot of colleges around here, but we never really hear much about them except for the usual powerhouses, UT, UNT, SMU, and the like. So we hit up one of the smaller, less well-known schools here yesterday and man, was I impressed.

Husband is thrilled that his first born has been bitten by the art bug, partially thanks to a fabulous art teacher she's had at school in this, her last year of high school. She's going back and forth between an elementary education major and a fine arts major. I keep telling her, No pressure! Try a little of both. You really don't have to lock in on one or the other until after you've been in school a year or so. The important thing is that she's doing something she loves. So we're exploring our options.

But as you know, we have a very special little blended family. And as with most kiddos who are working with two sets of parents, things can get mucky at certain points. And sometimes we just need to remember to breathe. Everybody wants whats best for the kiddos and sometimes those ideas of "best" just don't quite line up. Luckily, I'm not her parent. She has a mother. She doesn't need another one. So it frees me up to be like, Look, you're gonna be fine. In the end, you'll go to school where you want to go and you'll be doing something you love. Graduation of a first born is a stressful time for most parents. Just wait it out. And know that everybody's rooting for you.

So last night, we took a breather on the patio. Just the two of us. And I was staring at the huge pecan tree down the hill in front of us when I noticed there was a huge hole in one of the thickest branches. I started to wonder, How did that hole get there? And right about that time, a gray furry head with a black mask around the eyes poked it's head out of the hole. OMG! There's a raccoon in that hole! Look! He was very cute. Robin wanted to throw things at him, but I wouldn't let her. Let's not make the raccoons mad! I like my trash perfectly stowed away in the trash bin, thank you. But he was cute nonetheless, so we sat and watched him for a good twenty minutes or so whilst we waited for the atmosphere inside the house to calm a bit.

Things ended up okay and we were given the go ahead to carry on with our spring break. We have more colleges to visit this week and a whole host of other activities to fill our time. I'm going to enjoy it. And try not to think about what a long excruciating haul to the finish line the next two months are going to be (mostly for me and my school, not Robin and hers). But we'll make it, all of us. In that I am confident. :)