yes... in a good way

He leaned in, kissed me softly, and asked if this trip made it more real.  I nodded...

The other part of our weekend trip was a couple hours north of Seaworld... to visit a college.  The last time we were passing through, school wasn't in session and all was eerily quiet.  Yesterday was quite the opposite.  The lots were full, the sidewalks were bustling... and there was an excitement that was practically contagious.  And I could see her there.  I could see her sitting in the courtyard with her paintbrush, or rushing along with the rest of the crowd.  It wasn't hard to picture her, book open, lazing under a tall oak, Spanish moss blowing in the breeze.  And as we visited with students over at the teaching zoo, she fit right in. 

So yes.  This trip made it all more real.  But in a good way.  I see the world opening wide, and the excitement dancing in her eyes tells me she is ready to embrace it.  And truly, there could be nothing better.