Usually I look back over the previous year and detail that year's number of memorable events in the life of our family. So for 2023, it would be 23. But 2023 was more than just memorable. It was EPIC. That's not a word I use a lot or lightly because it carries a lot of weight and expectation. It stretches the boundaries of memorable. That's what 2023 was. Our family experienced some very significant life events, the likes of which impacted us deeply. Besides our wedding day and perhaps moving states or building a house, the years of greatest change were the ones in which we welcomed Mason, Hannah Kate and Ellie. But you know what? Nothing prepares you for the day when one of those moves into adulthood and takes the first steps away from your home. There are some day, many days, that it still seems impossible that this has happened. There is a sense of emptiness that has gotten better, but I'm not sure it will ever completely go away. I don't have 23 for 2023. I have only twelve, but some of those are so big that I don't need 23!
1. It's so appropriate that this should be number one! The year was off to a super fun start as my team won the Natty. Again. As in two years in a row!
2. Hannah Kate has been dancing now for almost 13 years. She made it her goal a few years ago to earn her pointe shoes, and she worked really hard and did just that. Last year the studio started Ballet Company, a competition team for ballet only, and she was invited to be one of the dancers for their inaugural year. She was very hesitant to accept the honor. It required her to step out of her comfort zone a lot. And, if you know Hannah Kate, you know she much prefers the coziness of her comfort zone and doesn't venture outside it very much. But, ultimately, she did. It required extra lessons and auditions and culminated with her performing her solo at the Youth America Grand Prix competition in Dallas. She did very well, and it was a delight seeing her on that stage. As a matter of fact, she loved it so much that she auditioned for Ballet Company again this year, and she will be competing in both Dallas and Houston next month.
3. We made a quick trip to Georgia in March to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My brother and I hosted a dinner party for them and invited our family and some of their closest friends. It was the most fun planning it for them, but the best part was watching them walk into the room and enjoy an evening just for them.
4. We sure do a lot of dancing around here. Last year was memorable because
Ellie took the stage again after a five year hiatus. She originally thought dance just wasn't "dangerous" enough for her, but she could hardly stand watching her big sister on stage year after year. She wanted to be up there in costume, too. It was a treat to see both of my girls on stage at the
dance recital.
5. The defining event of 2023 was, no doubt,
Mason's graduation from high school. He worked so long and so hard. I couldn't have been more proud of him! It was absolutely surreal. It seems like just yesterday I was holding a tiny, squishy faced baby in my lap in the hospital bed. When you have a baby, it seems like they will be a child forever. While it's true they will always be your child, they won't always be a child. But, like they always say, the days are long, but the years are fast. It's so funny that way. In a sense, it seems like these last 13 years of school days have been so very long. But all of a sudden, they came to a close.
6. I guess 2023 really was Mason's year. We celebrated his 18th birthday on July 13. I guess that means he's an adult now. Or does that not happen until 21? I don't know. Regardless, 18 is definitely a milestone birthday.
7. For the first time in 14 years, I no longer have a child in elementary school! Hannah Kate is a sophomore, and Ellie is in 6th grade this year. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but there are definitely some things about elementary school that I will never miss. I'm looking at you, dress up days.
8. Ellie got glasses this year! A note was sent home from school last year "suggesting" I have her eyes checked. She complained about not being able to see the board, and a quick vision test at school confirmed that. Ellie got not only her cross bite and crooked teeth from me but apparently my eyesight, too. Just like her, I was in 6th grade when I got my first pair of glasses. But they were nowhere near as cute as Ellie's. I didn't care. I could finally see, and that was all that mattered to me. Ellie doesn't really wear her glasses a whole lot even though she probably should. I have a feeling she'll be in contacts in a few short years.
9. On August 24, Seth, Mason and I made the three and a half hour trip up to Ruston. But only Seth and I came back home. There was absolutely nothing that could've prepared me to watch Mason walk away from us across the parking lot and back up to his dorm room.
I've heard it said that watching your children is like your heart walking around outside of you. If that's the case, watching your child walk away to his new home away from home is like your heart being ripped out of your chest. I spent days, weeks and months dreading that day. Part of me thought, "It's going to be bad. Really bad. But because I think it's going to be really bad, maybe it won't be quite that bad." As 2023 dawned in January, I felt like I was on a speeding train. As we sped closer and closer to graduation, I felt like I was going to fall off at any moment. By the time August came around, the train was absolutely out of control, and I was literally holding my breath waiting on it to crash. Well, it crashed, and it crashed hard. The drive back home that day was most definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I wasn't worried about Mason. I was totally convinced that he was ready and that he would be absolutely fine. I was excited for him. So excited! But this excitement coexisted with deep sadness. I was sad for us, for me, Seth, Hannah Kate and Ellie. The house seemed so empty without him. His chair was empty every night at the supper table. His room was empty. His seat in the truck was empty. We became a "table for 4."
By the time Labor Day weekend rolled around, Seth called him and told him to come home. But no one told me. I had taken Hannah Kate to something, I don't even remember what, and crashed on the couch when I got home. Then Mason walked around the corner, and I nearly died. He turned off Life360 for the drive down and even left his truck somewhere else so I wouldn't see it. It was a good weekend, but then he left. I was barely functioning. I was numb. The sadness lingered so much longer than I realized it would. There are thousands of books about becoming a parent and how to be a parent and parenting through the baby and toddler years. There are books about teenagers. But I totally missed the book about sending your child off to college. If there's not one, someone needs to write one. By October I was desperate. I mean, we would watch LA Tech's home football games hoping that we would see Mason in the student section! And we did! And we recorded it and took pictures! Because that's the only way we could "see" him! It was truly hilarious. He was actually smiling and chanting along with the band and having a good time (he's in the gray sweatshirt and white cap)! If you know Mason, well, you know.
He settled in and has done very well. He really likes Ruston and Tech. He reconnected with a buddy from our homeschool days, and that has been a tremendous blessing, as he didn't think he knew anyone going to Tech this year. His dorm and roommate situation has worked out so well even though he didn't know his roommate going into it. His classes are hard, and he has to study a lot. It's definitely not easy for him, nor will it be easy. But he's used to that. I'm so very grateful that he's doing so well. I didn't know if we would make it to winter quarter, but we did. It has gotten a little bit easier, but there's still some emptiness and quiet that I don't think I'll ever get used to.
10. One of the biggest blessings in my life has been Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). I walked into my class in 2011 hungry and desperate for God's Word. I didn't know it at the time, but I was also desperate for connection. I had not idea what the Lord had in store for me. After a couple of years of being in BSF, I was invited into leadership. The Lord called me to serve as a Children's Leader. Those were some of the sweetest days of my life. Tuesday mornings were my absolute favorite because it was Leaders' Meeting day. The Lord eventually called me to serve as the Children's Supervisor and then as Teaching Leader. When He called me to that, I thought it would be for "forever." But after a year, the Lord pressed on my heart that it was "for such a time as this." He graciously let me know that my time would be shorter than I thought. That was four years ago. In 2023 He called me out of leadership, out of my sweet, sweet Baton Rouge class that I'd been a part of for 12 years, and into a different role as Area Personnel for eight Louisiana BSF classes. I have no doubt of the Lord's calling on my life, but it was a very difficult transition, especially as it happened simultaneously with Mason moving to Ruston. I felt two great losses at the same time, and that resulted in great grief. But the Lord didn't take away with giving something else. He gave me a partner, and she has quickly become one of my dearest friends. We travel together to visit our classes, and we have the best time!
11. We celebrated another milestone birthday in 2023. Hannah Kate turned 16 on December 4. This most introverted daughter of mine planned a sleepover and invited 17 of her friends! Between sickness and a busy December, we hosted seven of them. You know who eats more than teenage boys?! Teenage girls!! You know what sounds like 17 teenage girls?! Seven teenage girls!! When Hannah Kate was younger, I prayed faithfully that the Lord would give her a best friend like He gave me in Lauren. He answered that prayer 17 and more times over! I love Hannah Kate's sweet girlfriends.
And, of course, she finally finished driver's ed and got her license. THAT has been quite a process. I thought that because I'd already taught one child to drive, it would be a lot easier the second time around, and I would be a little more chill. That was definitely NOT my experience. Seth had to ultimately take over the driving lessons. Up until November, I didn't think she would be ready to drive when she turned 16. But here we are. And I won't even get into the adventure this was, but we surprised her with a car during Christmas break. Honestly, it's more for me than it is for her! It means I'll get a break from carpool and, eventually, dance taxi! She will drive to school by herself for the first time later this week.
12. If you think 18 and 16 are milestone birthdays, I have one even better for you. We also celebrated MawMaw Mac's (Seth's grandmother) 100th birthday on December 10. Yes. One hundred years old.
2023 was a lot of things. It was hard. I think it was one of the hardest years of my life. But there were also a lot of really sweet things, too. It was epic, and it was the year of
rescue.
