Claire is at her first sleepover tonight. We went to her friend Faith's birthday party this morning at 9:30. She was invited to go from there out to Faith's grandparent's house in Elgin where they do country things and have goats and presumably eat sausage. I had a feeling a sleepover request was going to follow her being gone ALL DAY. And I am OK with that. Mom's a principal, dad's a cop, Faith is a great kid. She is in good hands. But I am still lonely for my little girl. Not lonely for her physically (though there is that) so much as lonely for what sleepovers mean. Fast-forward: light-as-a-feather-stiff-as-a-board, Ouija boards, boys in board shorts. Bored of mom.