12 hours

That's how long before Alli and Boy Wonder leave for the beach. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." That's my only thought at the moment. Alli and I have actually had a good day. We got up, had breakfast together, and took Elvis to therapy. When we got back to town, we stopped at Wal-Mart to redeem her last WIC voucher and for me to buy some window shades.

I've gotten more info on the wedding today. She showed me the rings this morning. She tried on her dress for me this afternoon and had me pin the shoulder straps that were a little too long. She told me they have the marriage license form and that she put me down as her mom/next of kin. (I guess she shared that to reassure me a little.) She borrowed my suitcase. The ceremony is Sunday afternoon at 4:00 on the beach. I've helped her make a list of the little things that she's likely to forget to pack and we've rounded things up. This is sooo hard but I don't want to have any regrets. She can legally do this and I just have to deal with it. All in all, the day has gone well. Alli, following advice from the counselor last night, made a point to thank me for helping and told me she's enjoyed the day with me. Why this is so hard for us, I just don't know.

She has a friend lined up to watch Elvis the whole time they are gone but I'm not going to do that to him. I could be petty and refuse but that wouldn't be fair to him. He doesn't know Alli's friend well and he's not going to understand what's going on. He's going to spend the nights here and parts of the days with her friend. That will allow Beth and I to keep working on the house without having to stop and care for him constantly. My mom has offered to watch him a few hours at a time, too, so we have even more back up, if needed. (Elvis loves my mom.)

So, tomorrow morning, they are off. In the 5 years that Alli has lived with me, we've never been apart 5 days. I know, time for me to let her grow up. I'm working on it.