Today we are celebrating another Forever Family Day. Four years we have had now with our wonderful little girl. I won't lie to you and tell you it has all been sunshine and rainbows. I will tell you the truth and say that I wouldn't get rid of a single moment though. On this day, four years ago in a hot room in a foreign country with screaming kids all around us, we couldn't have dreamed things would turn out this well. We couldn't fathom that Natalie would be so smart, so beautiful, so loving, so loved, so...perfect. So, today we celebrate in our own modest way. Natalie gets to choose Chinese (for obvious reasons) or pizza (because we are pretty certain that is what we had for dinner that first night). She chose the Chinese buffet. Doesn't seem like a special enough place to host such a wonderful occasion, but Natalie doesn't care and tonight she gets what she wants. Why not, we got what we wanted four years ago.
I mentioned vacation in the title as well. We had a great time with my family. I think if you gave Natalie the option of doing anything in the world, it might just be hanging out with her cousins in the pool/ocean. That is a beautiful thing in and of itself. Couple that with the beauty of the island and its culture, and you are sure to have a wonderful vacation. This was our second time in Jamaica and we loved it again. I will post some pictures of the trip at the end of this post.
About the depression, I called Natalie our "little" girl in the opener. Yeah, not so much. She is starting school in four days. Apparently, there is no stopping this growing up thing. I know. Yeah, I know. We are supposed to enjoy her turning into a young lady and watching her mature in the world. Cut the crap, people. Truth be told, I don't think I would be too upset if she stayed a little girl forever. Age means more attitude. Age means she probably gets smarter than me. I don't think I can handle the challenge to my authority. Age also means she might love someone more than me one day. That sucks. Age also means she leaves us little by little. Damnit. Depression.
No more self-pity. Of course, I am excited to see what's on the horizon. I can't wait to watch her learn new things. I want to see her take what she learns and become great. I even want her to fall in love some day so I can subsequently punch him in the face. You know, be the cool dad. Just because I want to see those things eventually doesn't mean I am ready for them now. Alas, I cannot stop time, so a little sadness creeps in. I will just tell everyone they are tears of joy.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the photos.
