My first baby - she is gone.

I can't promise I won't cry while writing this post, but none of you will know if I do or not. Right?

Anyway, about a month ago my eldest decided she needed a change, and an opportunity presented itself to move to Las Vegas. Planning ensued, goodbye parties were held, and today I sent her off on a plane before I headed to work for the night.

Am I excited for her, and her new adventure? Absolutely. Would I have picked Las Vegas for that adventure to begin? Absolutely not. One of the other times she left was for school, and she was home every weekend. The one other time she flew the coop she was only one town away. As a result I still saw her 3 to 4 times a week. Las Vegas is a whole plane ride away (or a very long car trip).

The girls don't quite understand that she's not coming back anytime soon. I think they think that she's going on vacation. They kept asking if we could all go with her. They've gotten a little sad, a little upset, and more than a little teary over that fact that they've lost "their Stacey" as they affectionately call her. As an aside, they think every family has a "Stacey" just like every family has a Mom or Dad or Aunt or Uncle or Grandparent. It's really quite cute, but I digress.

I miss her terribly already, wish her the best of luck, and hope she stays out of trouble. Stay tuned for updates (either on her progress or my breakdown.)