Where There's a Georgia, There's a Way

Remember this? 

The day Will met Georgia, he was in town for an event supporting Cancer for College, which provides scholarships for cancer survivors. That day, he told Georgia that when it was time for her to go to college, she could apply for one of their scholarships, and now, amazingly, here we are. She just submitted her application. Regardless of what happens, we will always remember how kind and attentive he was and how hard he works to help kids who've beaten cancer follow their dreams to college. So cool. It's just hard to believe that was 8 years ago!

Georgia is pretty much back to 100% after the rocky start to the year, and her timing couldn't have been better. She has been busy, busy with school (who says Seniors coast in the spring?!), Teen Council at the art museum, and, of course, her beloved swimming. Just this past weekend alone, she participated in both the State Youth and Government Conference AND the District Swim Meet, where, after a few moments of confusion, we found out her 400 Free Relay team qualified for Regionals! It was such a nice surprise (and relief!) to know she has another swim in her, and she is looking forward to traveling to Texas A&M with her team and her amazing coach this weekend. You know our girl - she Just. Keeps. Swimming!

The delegates from Ann Richards making the good Governor very proud.

Senator Moore in the Senate Chambers saving the bees!

 Still smiling, even before she knew the Starfish were going to Regionals,

and her last swim season wasn't *quite* over.

The Dynamic Duo - Georgia's swim coach AND Youth and Government sponsor

and a million other things at ARS, Ms. DiCuffa

We Love a Party

The New Year got off to a bit of a bumpy start for Georgia, but she's back on track after missing the first week of school and a swim meet. She got her wisdom teeth taken out right before Christmas, and we were prepared for her to be down for a few days, but she sailed through the procedure and recovery like it was nothing! But then she suddenly fell ill the night before school started back up, and it took a visit to the pediatrician, one to Dell Children's, and two complete lab work-ups and more to tell us, "We don't know what it is, but we know what it isn't." She was extremely fatigued, nauseous, pale, and had no appetite, so there was some concern when it held on for three days, and that prompted all of the investigation. As a default, we're calling it "a bug," but it took her a full week to recover her energy and appetite. She hated missing school and swimming, but she took baby steps last week, and is now almost back to full speed. And we're all breathing easier ... : )

Right before all of that, though, she did have a fabulous 18th birthday! It's crazy to think that she is now "an adult," but like most moms, I will always see her as my baby. We started the special day with the traditional birthday scavenger hunt, and the big prize this year was tickets to see Lorde, one of her favorites, this spring. Later, she invited her gaggle to play 18 holes of putt putt golf, and they all braved the cool weather and the crowds for a great afternoon. We finished up the day with dinner and a light show and dreams of what the next year will bring for her - and where she'll be! College applications are finished, so now we wait ...

The "green light" was a hint for Lorde's song of the same name. 

We're so witty!

Putt putt at Peter Pan. Say that five times fast.

 The Force is with these Ann Richards girls, for sure!

 Sweet, sweet friends who have supported and celebrated Georgia for the past seven years.

 The Texas-sized light show at Mozart's is always a holiday hit.

 EVERYBODY wears the hat on their birthday!

The next day was New Year's Eve, of course, and as you know, that day has multiple meanings for us. This year, we had a party to celebrate 2018 and our 20th wedding anniversary, but it's also Georgia's diagnosis day, and getting to mark one more year past December 31, 2009 is the greatest cause for celebration. We had fun with friends, family, and fireworks, and look forward to many special moments in the coming year.

Thank you for another year of love and support!