Tremendous 20!

Happy Birthday, Greta! I can't believe you have blessed this earth (and our family) for TWO DECADES already. From your rushed beginning at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda to the current wrap-up of your second year of college, it has been a wild ride these last 7,306 days and continues to be so much fun to be your mom.

You had a banner last "teen" year, embracing the thrill of international travel to Nairobi and Paris with your family, and then traveling alone to Oxford, England. You tackled jet lag like a pro both going and returning, and mastered the art of airport maneuvering and blending in abroad. Those skills will serve you well as you plan your next adventures for your junior year of college. I think there is a lot of passport stamping in your future! 

You also embraced learning to drive (finally!) and commuted daily on the thruway for your summer job. Once your confidence grew, I enjoyed being chauffeured while sipping my coffee. Managing morning and evening rush hour ensured you were ready for the road test, and you now proudly have a driver's license...although you haven't had to use it!

As a sophomore, you continued to excel at AU both academically and socially. Your course work is rigorous, both in the School of International Service and the Environmental Studies program, with complicated research assignments and lab requirements, but you seem to really enjoy it, and are quickly learning the intricacies of geographic information systems. I've admired your discipline in studying as well as availing yourself of professor's office hours to ensure you are learning new material. When you found yourself in a class with seniors and grad students, the professor quickly realized you were a new face, and provided extra reading to ensure you could level up quickly, which you did. Your selection to join this year's Said Peace Scholar program provided additional opportunities to explore "waging peace," which should serve you well in this turbulent world. 

You were very active in campus and community outreach again this year, as the Treasurer for AU's Best Buddies, volunteering as an education advocate as part of the DC Reads program, and serving as a committee chair for AU's model UN conference, which involved preparing all committee materials and then moderating two days of debate for dozens of high school students. You continued your work with the Peace Corps Prep Program, and volunteered to assist with their community archives efforts. You also joined the AU Pep Band (we loved watching you on ESPN+!) and stayed active with the local Methodist church. I think there are some other clubs I'm missing (Peace Jam? Outdoors Club? What else? Please comment below!) In addition to all that, you worked many long hours as a desk assistant in various AU dorms, squirreling away your paychecks to ensure a nest egg for your upcoming summer in D.C. and travels abroad. You have an amazing work ethic, which is certain to carry you far! 

One surprise for us this past year was your decision to join a sorority. While you have a terrific group of friends, you meshed really well with the girls in Sigma Kappa (Lambda Eta), received a "bid" last fall, and became part of their sisterhood. They are a wonderful service-oriented and philanthropic group. You quickly realized that if you wanted to take on a leadership role in the sorority, you would need to start in January since it is a calendar year of service, and you plan to be abroad next spring. So you ran for the position of Director of Chapter Relations, and have been ensuring fun outings and sisterly support ever since. I'm so happy to see you so happy at the many events. 

I know there are lots of other milestones I am missing, some because I know nothing about them with you grown-and-flown from our nest, others because this is being written late in the day and my mind is tired. Good thing we have this blog to keep a better record! Regardless of what I've failed to include, we know that you are more than ready to leave "teen" behind and take on this first decade of adulthood. 

I had a glimpse of just how prepared you are over the past weekend (and the weeks leading up to it), as you signed your lease and we moved you into your first apartment. You tackled the search, lease negotiation, renter's insurance, rent-per-person-based-on-square-footage-calculation, and furniture pick up schedule like a pro. I don't think the leasing office at The Berkshire Apartments was ready for you ("You read the lease!"), and likely the rest of D.C. will soon realize you approach everything well prepared but able to pivot if needed, with plans B and C, and possibly D at the ready. I am so excited for you to start your internship on Capitol Hill in May and have you experience summer in D.C. with your friends. I am sure there will be plenty to highlight this time next year! For now, precious Greta, make a wish, and know how much we love you and that we are so proud of the adult you've become.