<p>andi - your post caught my eye also.</p>
<p>berurah - things are loooookin' gooood.</p>
<p>Hey y'all,</p>
<p>I want to tell you something about andi~~</p>
<p>She is THE most supportive, compassionate, kind and lovely person ever. Even as this whole nightmare was coming down for her own son, she has been keeping up with my son and emailing many letters of support and congratulations. I have shed many tears over her amazing son. Even my daughter was in tears the other day, so aware was she that but for the luck of the draw, it could have been her own brother in andi's son's place. andi has the most special of places in my heart, and she has the most beautiful soul ever. Her son deserves the brightest and most brilliant of futures--I just KNOW it will happen for him, somehow, somewhere!</p>
<p>I love you andi and son!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>awwwww thanks Berurah, Momof2inca and digmedia you bring tears to MY eyes. Look how supportive you've all been to me!!! Something like 8 pages of advice and encouragement on my thread!!!!!!</p>
<p>If your S picks JHU, he'll be "local" to us, so he can come here for family visits whenever time or money prevents a trip back home! How's that for taking the CC "e-family" to new heights!!!</p>
<p>(Actually, Balto is about 50-60 minutes drivetime away...we're in the metro DC area)...</p>
<p>Seriously, mega-congrats to you & your S...so glad to hear he's excited enough to be torn over the JHU/Duke choice...takes some of the "angst" out of waiting to hear what Duke will offer in its FA package!</p>
<p>overanxious mother,</p>
<p><em>sniff</em> OMG, you have NO idea how very touched I am at your incredible offer! I am <strong>so</strong> worried about sending him off, so very far away. I have been (seriously!) having nightmares about it for about a year (O.K., I'll wear the label of overprotective...). You have brought me so much comfort, and we would be more than honored to have you as our e-family! love, ~berurah</p>
<p>Berurah--if your S is anything like my S, he'd "cringe" at the mere idea of being sent off to a cyber-friend of his mother's! But if he's up for it, I am! I love kids, and mine is my miracle--but I was blessed w/only one miracle...I'd love to share one (or more) of your six! </p>
<p>I will be confronting "empty nest syndrome" come August (talk about dread!!!)...it will be just me and my dog (the world's friendliest, sweetest golden retriever)...4 bedrooms so lots of space...he & his buddies could come here any time and I'd be in heaven! I have a houseful of teenagers most of the time (for various reasons, the kids tend to hang out here)...I tell S and friends I'll miss the friends as much as I'll miss the S...</p>
<p>So, despite the fact that our kids will think we stark raving mad (actually, my kid already knows that about me!), send him on over...I'm smiling ear-to-ear at the mere thought!</p>
<p>Hi Berurah! Wow is right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And mix up the clear waters with a lot of green stuff!!!!! </p>
<p>One of my co-workers got me a beautiful mother of pearl stained-glass angel for my birthday; it is called the "guidance angel" and H hung it on a nail on the wall by my son's computer . . .angel stays there till his decision is made. I'll share it with you, too, in cyberspace!</p>
<p>Wow, berurah! CONGRATS!!!
Your son will have some tough decisions to make! :)</p>
<p>Congrats! I am thrilled for you.</p>
<p>mstee~Oh yeah--this decision has become nearly impossible. As my son puts it, either way, he is giving up something wonderful. It is boggling my mind at the moment!</p>
<p>poetsheart~Thanks so much for the congrats! Yes, we are feeling more than blessed at the moment. It is terribly exciting, but also a bit overwhelming right now!</p>
<p>jamimom~I was reading up on this scholarship and I just about fell off of the chair! What an honor this truly is! I would have to agree with you about the Yale adcom. Not to be snide, but I honestly, truly don't think he had a clue. My son worked tirelessly on that app., and it was very good. It contained the same essay that the Duke rep. praised (with one paragraph added for Duke) and also the same special letter of recommendation that the Duke rep. mentioned specifically. No biggie now, but I do think you are right. lacrosse? what's that???? <em>LOL</em></p>
<p>texastaximom~how about that "lettuce"?? I've always like greens....:)</p>
<p>carolyn~Thanks so much for the congrats. I think that JHU is a wonderful match in certain ways, but so is Duke!! ACK! I so thank you for your contributions and your willingness to answer my questions. There'll be more, I'm sure!</p>
<p>soozievt~Thanks for rejoicing in our good news, even as you face so many challenges at the moment. I hope your D is continuing to recover well. It's funny, when you were talking about your D's acceptances and finding the scholarship offers, I was wondering what that would really be like! And now...well, I know, and it is SO exciting. Looks like both our kids have lots of good choices! Thanks so much for posting!</p>
<p>B, Mazel Tov! JHU is awesome and this award takes a lot of pressure away! love SB</p>
<p>kinshasa~Thanks so much for the congrats! We actually haven't been to the JHU campus. I am glad to hear that you were pleasantly surprised by it because I was worried about what it was like in comparison to some of the other really cool campuses. My son received an invitation today to a special gathering of the Hodson Trust Scholars. It's coming up soon, but we are going to make every effort to get him there. I think it's really important that he see the campus before he makes a decision.</p>
<p>mootmom~We are SO very glad to have you around as an alum. Believe me, we will be calling on you with all sorts of questions. Thanks so much for your offer of help!!</p>
<p>bettina~Thanks for the congrats and for the advice on letting it all sink in before decisions are made. Right now, everything is overwhelming, but we are trying to calm down and get everything under control so that we can attack this in a rational way! </p>
<p>MotherOfTwo~You have been so supportive and such a source of inspiration over these last months. THANK YOU!! I agree with you in that it is important that he visit both campuses if we can work it out. I am going to explore some options tomorrow, but if anyone has any frequent flyer miles they'd like to donate...well, feel free...hee hee :)</p>
<p>momrath~I have to think that only on CC would the merits of the thread title "Crikey" be debated <em>lolololololololol</em> I do, however, want to thank you for your support of my hastily chosen term. Ironically, I have never uttered that word in real life, nor did my parents, so I have NO idea where it came from. All I know is that when I saw the paper declaring my son a recipient of the Hodson Trust Scholarship, it was the first word out of my mouth! Next time, I will use EGADS! :) Thanks for the congrats and I so hope you are right about the Yale adcom!!!!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>simba~I, too, love it when the good guys win. I'm glad that you consider us good guys! :) And thanks for all of your support!</p>
<p>chocoholic~Thanks for the good thoughts! Do you really think that there's a chance that he could be flown in by JHU? What with the pink slip and all, that would help SO much!! I will call them in the a.m. Thanks a bunch for the suggestion!</p>
<p>latetoschool~EGADS, another vote for CRIKEY!!!!! <em>lol</em> Like I've said, I have never used it before, but hey, it IS kinda catchy! I may pm you about JHU since you have been looking into it so carefully. Would you mind?? Thanks for everything!</p>
<p>jym626~Thanks so much for your support!! I sent off the tax forms today, and I am planning to call both Duke and JHU tomorrow. I feel like a broker or something! <em>lol</em> Do you know any of the details of your friend's negotiations? I don't know proper protocol, but I am a fast learner! :)</p>
<p>achat~Thanks so much for the congrats and for the endorsement of JHU. We are getting pretty darn excited about some of the prospects. We'll keep you posted!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>CONGRATS berurah; what a happy thing to see your good news after our PM conversation just 2 weeks ago when you feared what might occur..."good things were just around the corner" (I sense my sainted grandma smiling as I write this)
Tabbyzmom
P.S. My S chose Univ of Florida after visiting last week :)</p>
<p>1sokkermom~<em>YOU</em> are supposed to be talking up Duke, remember!? <em>lol</em> But in reality, they are BOTH great schools, aren't they? And my son is a basketball freak...</p>
<p>Little Mother~Thanks for the congrats! That is amazing about your mom touring the teaching hospitals so long ago! She must be quite a remarkable woman to have accomplished all of that before it was easy for a woman to do such things. Wow!</p>
<p>wjb~Thanks for you happiness for my son! Honestly, I HATE decisions. I hope he's better at them than I am!</p>
<p>yulsie~Thanks for the congrats and for the wonderful endorsement of JHU as a great possibility for my son. The internships and the research opportunities are exactly what he's been talking about since he saw the scholarship award. He's very excited by the prospects. Where do you think your son will end up??</p>
<p>editrix~Your advice has ALWAYS been right on the money! You've got it DOWN, girl! I emailed you today! :)</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>sybbie~oh yeah...the old faith has been restored TOTALLY! Thanks for the congrats and for all of your support!</p>
<p>achat~
[quote]
Yes, Berurah needs to bottle it and sell it if she can!
[/quote]
Maybe then I can pay for college???? :)</p>
<p>maineparent~Thanks for your interesting analysis and your congratulations. I'm not totally sure what I think of the Yale experience...whether or not the adcom was thinking deeply enough to be acting in the way that you described. My instinct would tell me no--that it was more likely that he didn't read deeply enough into the app. (or the unusual recommendations) to "get it". Nevertheless, for all I know, you may be totally correct. The only real problem I had with the Yale rejection was that the adcom apparently felt obliged to speak for some other "highly selective" institutions other than Yale. I did take issue with that.</p>
<p>dadofsam~We are beginning the serious assessment of Duke vs. JHU of which you spoke. It is not an easy task, I might add, because there is so much to love about each school. We are going to do everything possible to try and visit both campuses. I plan to speak to the schools tomorrow. Thanks so much for all of your great support!</p>
<p>andi~What can I say, girl? You are amazing, and I have SO appreciated your support over all these months. I couldn't have gotten through this without you! xo</p>
<p>momof2inca~OH YEAH, andi is the classiest of acts!! :)</p>
<p>wish~Thanks for sharing in our joy...Waiting to hear all about your son soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>cangel~Thanks for the congrats. I'd be very interested in hearing any more you'd like to pass along about JHU and why you think it's not the best choice for some? We have some serious decisions to make, and we need to hear EVERYTHING, both positive and negative. PM me if you will...I'd love to hear more.</p>
<p>digmedia~Yes, things ARE looking good, huh? At least a lot better than they were. And you've been there for every step. Thanks SO much!</p>
<p>overanxious mother~We would be SO honored to have you as a cyberparent!!!! I can only imagine how you must feel as you close in on your empty nest time...<em>sniff</em>. I can see why the kids all like to hang out at your house. You sound like you really, really love having them around! Me too. We ALWAYS have a houseful (well, even more than my six usually!). If you ARE stark raving mad, then my son will be VERY comfortable there--'cause I am too!! :) If you need a shoulder to cry on at empty nest time, I'll be here for you.</p>
<p>momofthree~
[quote]
And mix up the clear waters with a lot of green stuff!!!!!
[/quote]
Better the waters are "muddied" with that green stuff, huh??
Boy, could we EVER use that beautiful angel right now...blow its powers in our direction, huh? We are really struggling with this!</p>
<p>yemaya~Girl, you work WONDERS with those COLORS!! How pretty! And thanks for the congrats~the decision is going to be WAY too tough...think I'll go and invest in a Ouija board.....:)</p>
<p>evitajr1~Thanks for the congrats and for sharing in our happiness! I love your user name...my daughter uses the name Evita as her name in Spanish class!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>SB~Oh, thanks SO much. You have been so incredibly supportive, and I've really enjoyed corresponding with you. If you know any details about JHU that would help our decision, please pass them on!!</p>
<p>tabbymom~Congratulations on your son's choice of the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend's son LOVES it there, and her second son will join his brother next August. That is so awesome, and to have that decision out of the way...priceless! Give your son a BIG pat on the back for me! Your grandma truly IS a saint!! Thanks for sharing her special magic with me. I will never forget her OR you!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Berurah, you're one of the nicest posters and I'm delighted that good things are happening to you. Your son is going to get a GREAT education!</p>
<p>fireflyscout~Awwwwww, thanks so much! You have so often shared in both our trials and our triumphs, and for all of your support, I thank you TONS!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>