Surviving Soberly

August 6, 2016 Dear McKenna, You turning 16 soon brings us to another annual birthday letter. You will turn Sweet 16 on Aug. 15 and get your license on the same day – a huge turning point in your life, a stepping stone that is a huge responsibility and a privilege. You are such a good driver, much better than I was! And I'm proud also of the person you have become so far. You're so smart, mature, ambitious, talented, and curious. I get teary-eyed when I think of how everything has developed up until now. I remember reading about all your milestones through the years and seeing your pictures up till now, marveling at my little girl, emailing friends and family those emails and pictures, scanning photos. I have framed so many pictures, made photo albums, often gone back over baby pictures, finding it hard to believe that so many years have gone by so quickly yet not so quickly. I still have the “McKenna Walls” that you saw so long ago when you were ten o...

In between watching the Olympics opening ceremonies I was watching the Kitten Olympics on the Hallmark Channel which were hilarious. They played volleyball, bad minton, and track, and the cameras visited the kittens with their activities in the dorms. Then they did synchronized napping where they had to keep their eyes closed. Whoever did got the gold. The judges said, "Oh, looks like Team North just can't keep their eyes closed." So the brown and white tabby Team South won. "And Team South kills it to bring home the gold." It's going to be on for a few nights with other events. They have a couple of real Olympic judges doing the commentary. A couple of cats are named Purrcules and Nadia Come n' Scratch Me. They all have Olympic names combined with cat names. no plus ones Yeah, I really do need to start that dating thing again.