Field Trip Fun

Will the bus leave already???

Yes, the Q and U couple still together after ALL of these years!

Third base line

The eternal flame

Fire Engine

Outside the boyhood home of MLK

Friends

I chaperoned Sarah's final field trip of elementary school today. We had so much fun! This is the first (yes, first!) field trip I've been on with any of my kids. I know, it is hard to believe. I get to be with the every day events and never (OK, hardly ever) miss out on a classroom event, an assembly or an important classroom presentation. Dave, on the other hand, misses out on many of those events. So, field trips are saved for him.

Except for today. Today was the BIG fifth grade trip. You know, the one you wait for years to go on. The one with the charter bus that has the DVD player and the bathroom (only in case of emergencies, of course!). The one that tells everyone, "We're done with elementary school, middle school here we come!"

This was a trip I didn't want to miss. This is the beginning of me saying goodbye to the little girl I've taken to school with me for the past SIX years. Goodbye to looking in the classroom window, just for a peek. So long to stopping in the cafeteria for a hug and to getting an unexpected visit when she comes to the media center to check out a book. This trip was a needed step in accepting that my angel, my first born, my sweet Sarah is growing up and moving on.

So, today we got on that charter bus and headed to Atlanta. Our first stop was Turner Field. Once there we were treated to a tour. It was so exciting to see the places that most people (including us) only see through movies. When we got to the locker room, we found out that the room is actually a 20,000 foot facility that housed not only the "locker room" but also a gym, a medical faciilty and a POOL!!!

After our time at Turner Field we went to the Varsity for lunch. For those of you who have never heard of, or have never been to, the Varsity is an Atlanta institution! With the yells of, "What d'ya have?" to the "One naked dog and fries" and of course the ever popular, orange creme drink, the kids excitement grew!

After lunch we were went to visit the Martin Luther King exhibits. We had about an hour and a half to independently tour the visitor center, the Ebeneezer Baptist Church, his childhood home, the fire-station and anything else that we wanted to do.

Believe it or not, during our tour of MLK's boyhood home, the local NBC station was filming a segment on the run-down house next door that was going to get a face lift compliments of President Obama's stimulus money! So, to end a wonderful day, our family watched US on the evening news!

To say that today was bittersweet would be an understatement. It was very obvious that Sarah so enjoyed me being a chaperone, even before she hugged, kissed and thanked me for being there. It was evident in the hand-holding and how close she stayed next to me.

Our mother-daughter relationship is headed for a change, we both see it and I'm not sure that either of us are excited for it to happen. But together we'll face it and make the most of whatever comes our way!