Stretching

This week has involved some stretching for me.

1. Parenting a beautiful 16 year old.   

The Winter formal which signals the start of Grad Season for the Grade 12's also allows the Grade 11's to attend.  Lindsay has not been to any school dances or shown that much interest in school social events but shortly before we left on our trip she declared she wanted to attend the Winter Formal...... We scrambled to find a dress before we left and she found some va va voom heels in South Africa and last weekend we found the accessories even in our jet lag fogginess.

I am not going to lie...... I was nervous..... It was hard to see my beautiful girl walking confidently into a huge banquet hall full of teenagers, limo's and party buses dropping off all around my little car. 

On one hand I knew she would be fine, I knew the event was relatively safe with about 20 teachers from the school keeping an eye.....it was more about the step it symbolised.... the start of a social life beyond my control.  She is ready to take this step and I need to be ready to let her.  And I am... it just stretches my heart a bit.

And then right after that she was invited to a party and she went last night - a low key gathering of a group of her peers at a home in the neighbourhood.  Another step for her another stretch for me.

We both survived - she, in fact, had a great time at both events.



2. Archery.  

My dear friend Emily read and watched the Hunger Games.  I have not as it involves chasing and I have a deathly fear of chasing or anything remotely scary in movies or books.  Nonetheless both my kids have devoured the Hunger Games and they got Allan to watch the movie with them last weekend.  I sat in the other room and worked on my teaching materials - I could hear it and that was scary enough.  The heroine Katniss is a compelling character.  She shoots a bow and arrow .  

You see where this is headed?

Last night 13 people who cannot say NO to Emily found ourselves at Richmond Archery Club for a 2 hour archery session.  We had a lengthy but necessary safety briefing and instruction session.....these are not your average bow and arrows....there was a lot to understand and figure out.  I was surprised to discover I was left eye dominant so I shot left - a fact I am not blaming for my dismal performance.  

When we eventually got on to the "field" and started to shoot at targets the need for the safety briefing was immediately clear as I shot my first arrow beautifully onto the target ...two lanes over.....  I did get better and consistently was actually hitting the target in my actual lane but not even close to a bulls eye.  

 Katniss Emily of course with determined focus got a bulls eye as did pretty much everyone except Allan and I.  They took down the targets and put up balloons and I assure you I hit the bulls eye then....I am sure of it.......slow learner.....I did manage to pop a couple of balloons too.

It was a fun evening and I can now proudly say I have archery aches in my shoulder and upper back..... ai ya.... this aging thing!! 

So I stretched more than the bow.... 

3. My pants.  

I have avoided this discussion about the stretchy story my pants are telling thanks to a month long vacation and no will power or energy since being home.  I determined before we went that although I was at my best weight in some time and my smallest pants size (which I am still hanging on to just barely) that I was not going to stress about calories.   

We ate out a lot as one does when one is travelling.  And although we walked a lot and hiked a bit there was no Jazzercise.  

Starting tomorrow I am back on the diet and exercise wagon.....calorie counting and jazzercising.  I am going to shut those pants and their stretchy talk right up.