It’s the beginning of my daughter’s senior year. Yesterday was her last day as a Junior, and I am already having a hard time with the roller coaster of emotions that loom ahead. The climb to the top of this foothill has not been long enough. I am not ready for the rapid descent and the curves the lie before us. There will be many more foothills and mountains, but my role will gradually become very different. I will gladly be there as she branches out, but my heart will ache as I slowly become more of a spectator than a participant. I will proudly watch her progress from a young adult and beyond. There is so much to look forward to, but honestly, it’s a great big world and I’m not ready to for the push from the nest. Not even close to ready. It’s graduation season and I hear you and your friends talking about your senior year. Your comments, “that will be us next year” don’t go unheard or taken for granted. I see the thoughts whirling around in your mind and instantly picture a little girl twirling her hair. My little girl. Senior year chronicles For most of Emma’s life, she has been a shadow survivor. Living a life she didn’t choose as a cancer sibling. Her dad and I tried our best to keep our girls on even ground. They were different as night and day and often our circumstances were extraordinary, but we did our best. Cancer took so much from Emma including her built-in best friend, so I dedicate this series to her. She is an outstanding individual and I want to chronical her passage to the monumental milestone of high school graduation. I can’t think of a better way to preserve the next year. A little trip down memory lane I was sitting on the couch after coming home from the hospital when Emma was born. My hormones were crashing faster than a runaway train coming down a mountain and I was exhausted from being awake for nearly 72 hours and giving birth to an 8-pound baby. You can imagine the state I was in. Let’s just say it was U_G_L_Y! My husband in an overly joyful state proceeded to tell his sister how before we knew it, Emma would be graduating. Now let’s just imagine how this statement went over. I’ll leave you with that thought and hope you enjoy this series. A little bit of background on who we are and how this blog came to be read Ava’s Story.