Did you hear the one about...

There's a saying I'm sure you've heard, that goes like this:

You can always tell who the mother of the bride is at a Mormon wedding. She's the one who's expecting a baby.

While my daughter isn't getting married anytime soon, and I am mercifully no longer in the family way, I can relate to this saying. My daughter is now officially a...GASP!...High Schooler.

If I wasn't feeling old already, I am sure to be feeling it now. Friday night we took her to the school for Meet-the-Teacher Night, though I'm sure those young-uns wouldn't call it such an old-fashioned name. They'd probably call it Take-Your-Parents-To-School-For-A-Lame-O-Stupid-Reason-And-I'll-Just-Die-If-My-Friends-See-Me Night.

AWK-ward!!!

As we prowled the school (looking like the cool parents) searching for the classes that would enlighten and enrich my child for the next four years, I was appalled, frightened and, at times, embarrassed (for the other parents). Who knew you could fit so many studs on one lip! And who knew hair could be THAT color! There were a pair of neon-green skinny jeans walking around that, and this is no lie, burned my retinas!

The whole sordid affair made me so glad that my daughter is just the way she is. Sweet, well-groomed, well-mannered, and sporting a testimony of the Gospel that far out-shines mine at that age. These kids today are so valiant getting up at the crack of dawn to get to Seminary at 5:45. It seems like just yesterday that I was ditching Seminary (release time at the end of the day!), and now my child is going.

Monday morning the first-day-of-school jitters got Hallie up in record time. She was so excited to get going.

I hope it lasts.

For four years.

One good thing about getting older is less need for sleep. That'll come in handy because we'll already be awake when it comes time to ferry kids to seminary.

And we'll be doing that for another 16 years!