My oldest daughter, a charming young lady

I told you all about going to Baltimore. You know about how the day started, and then how my wonderful oldest child, Gret, helped turn it around. I was on such a natural high last night, and it lasted right on into this morning. But I didn't tell you about the BEST part of the night, did I?

Meeting Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer was such a joy for me. It was even better because only a few hours before we met them, I really didn't think I'd make it up to Baltimore. I was supposed to go up there with my friend, Kim. We'd been planning it all week. I've made such a Crusie fan out of her. She's read just about every single Crusie that I have. She was almost as excited about meeting them as I was. But alas, Kim was given a head cold for Mother's Day weekend, and she just couldn't make it. I was down, since I'd really been looking forward to the trip. I pouted once I made it home. Then my miracle happened.

Gret walked down the stairs, looking lovely. She stopped at the door to the office and asked me to take her to meet Jenny Crusie. Shane made us go. Well, ok, he didn't exactly have to twist my arm, but he strongly encouraged me to leave with my oldest child.

Child really isn't a very good word to describe this amazing young woman though. Gret has become very mature the past few years. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. I hear other moms talk about their teenagers and think "Thank you, God, for giving me Gret!" She isn't perfect, but really, I couldn't ask for a better daughter.

She was in charge of the music for the trip, of course. We listened to Alanis on the way up. Good choice. Then she switched to James Blount. Another good choice. I really can't tell you everything we talked about, but I know it was awesome. I gave her driving tips. We talked about dating. We talked about Europe. We talked about guys, and friends, and relationships. Then we made it to Baltimore.

Gret was duly impressed with Jenny and Bob. She was quiet and polite, but not in a rude way. I think she was a little overwhelmed, as she's seen Jenny's pictures on the backs of my books for so long. She's heard me talk about Jenny for so long. She hears me laugh at the HW/SW blog every day. She wants to be able to read Jenny's books, but she knows she's not rady for the YEXy stuff yet. It was cool for her to meet them, and she was blown away by how NICE Jenny is. I think she was afraid that Jenny would be a bitch, or that she would have no clue who I was, and I would be disappointed, and she just wanted so much for me to really enjoy meeting them. She kept saying things like "Wow, Mom. She was really cool. I mean, she wasn't a snob or anything. She was just like a regular person, but she's like, famous, you know?" Yes, dear, I know. That's exactly how I felt.

Dinner was fun. We went to Chevy's for Mexican food. I even ordered a margarita. I think the highlight of the meal was when Gret looked at me and said "Mom, that waiter is FLIRTING with you!" I couldn't help but laugh. Then she had to look away every time he came over to check on us. I know that if she would have looked at him, she would have laughed. She teased me a LOT about that one, even threatening to call Shane. She didn't, of course. It was one of those things that moms and daughters share, and it just made the night that much more special.

We talked all the way home. Again, I don't remember exactly what the conversations were. Except Carrie Underwood. We were listening to her cd, and we started talking about some of her songs. At almost 14, Gret is so thirsty for information about how things work between men and women. She asks the most intelligent questions about relationships. She has very clearly defined ideas about how an interested guy will treat her. She is being raised to know that she is a wonderful person, and she should have respect for herself. If a guy can't see that and appreciate it, and treat her accordingly, he's not worth her time.

So, while Jenny and Bob were such an inspiration, and meeting them was like checking off another thing on that mental "To Do Before I Die" list, it wasn't the highlight of the evening. No, the highlight was those 4 hours in the car and hour at dinner with Gret. If not for Jenny and Bob coming to Baltimore, if not for Kim getting sick, I would have missed those 5 hours.

Frankly, I would have missed a lot more than some autographs in some books. Those 5 hours are more precious to me than anything else I've been given in recent memory. As my daughter gets older, the amount of time that we share gets smaller. I know this will happen, but I don't have to like it. That's why I have to cherish those moments that we get even more. Last night, I got her all to myself. That won't happen very often between now and when she leaves my nest. But for last night, we connected.

And it was perfect.