Monday April 27, 2015

The sun is shining and it doesn't feel so much like a Monday today. Maybe it's because we had a productive yet relaxing weekend. Maybe it's because have a fun week ahead.

We reached another milestone this weekend... Erin beat me on the golf course. Over 18 holes, she was better than me by 3 strokes - 94 to 91. She didn't rub it in too much... I gotta get out there and work on my short game, or this will be a regular occurrence!

Truth be told, I am happy about it. The hard work she put into improving her game is paying off. She broke 90 for the first time last week in a meet at Red Wing. Today she is off to Northfield for a triangular with Mankato West, and Wednesday she will play in the All-City meet at Soldier Field here  in Rochester.

Erin is learning some real life skills juggling school, golf, volleyball and her social life. She spent most of Sunday doing homework for the week ahead, knowing she will be missing classes for golf. Learning time management and how to prioritize tasks is a great skill to have.

Of course, as her mother I feel I have to bug her about getting things done, and yesterday, I kept asking her about whether she had finished each assignment. She was annoyed at my hounding. Hey, kid, just doing my job...

Dan and I plan to play hooky this afternoon and take a drive to Northfield to watch her play. We are lucky that Erin doesn't mind having us around. Many kids ban their parents from watching them golf, saying it makes them too nervous. Erin is used to having us around - it's a running joke around here that she is "smothered" by having all the attention of both parents now.

But Erin understands our need to hold on and cherish these moments just a little bit more than might be "normal". Our loss of Shannon made us truly appreciate watching Erin grow up, and we want to be there for all of it. I can't believe how quickly her freshman year has gone. We're just 6 weeks away from her being a sophomore. I don't want it to go so fast...

When Dan reads this, he will tease me about getting ahead of myself. I can hear him already -"How's that one day at a time thing working for you?" It's a constant struggle for me to stay in the present.

So, I will try to enjoy today. This Monday, the sun is shining and I will get to go for a walk around Northfield Golf Club with my husband, watching our kid play. The present is pretty dang good...