<p>Hurray for mdem!</p>
<p>D is counting the days until we go on Saturday to ME for vacation. It has been a good, but tiring summer working two jobs. She starts her last full semester of classes she thinks, as next Spring will be an internship and her final year she will undertake an original research project, and take only 1 or 2 classes. Hard to believe it has gone so fast.</p>
<p>Hey, iPeeps! </p>
<p>Today is Intern Appreciation Day at ds’s work. It involves a potluck where all the bosses bring food for the kids. Ds really has liked his job. This weekend he was embroiled in a bit of controversy, and I gave him some ideas for how to resolve it. He took one of the suggestions, and, I think, it was resolved beautifully. His boss freaked a bit when she came in on Monday and heard about it, but he convinced her that it was all good.</p>
<p>He told me yesterday that when he returns to college he may continue to do work for them – remotely, obviously – but there’s no provision for paying him. What do y’all think of that? Dh thinks it’s great; I’m not so sure. I think he should continue to pursue some level of pay, even if it’s just five hours a week at his current hourly rate, knowing he’d put in more hours than that.</p>
<p>Can you believe it. I don’t think I have posted on this thread in about four years. Four years! Taking daughter back to University of Richmond on Saturday for final year. Dean’s List five out of six semesters. She is looking at Seminaries for next year. She has it narrowed down to Southern Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbia, SC or Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.</p>
<p>Son (twin of daughter) decided to drop out of Millersville University ¶ this summer. Very disappointing but his grades were horrible so he was really just wasting money. He is working at a bank and he thinks he is rolling in the money right now. I’ve tried to talk some sense into him but I am but a mere father. What can I possibly know. He says he may go back next year. I have my doubts but I will hope! He’s too wrapped up with a possesive, manipulating girl friend.</p>
<p>We do enjoy our empty nest and look forward to long weekends on the motorcycle. I hope all is well with everyone else here!</p>
<p>Hey, PA!!! So nice to hear an update. Sounds like you’ve really live the rollercoaster between your two!</p>
<p>Just dropping by for some coffee (thanks, p56) as I sit in the airport waiting to board the flight to MN. Can’t wait to see D this afternoon! Nice to see you, PA. ~~waving to all.</p>
<p>Safe travels, alice!</p>
<p>We decided we’re taking S back to campus on Saturday afternoon (classes start Monday). Friday night we’re taking a picnic dinner to see Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park.</p>
<p>I bought him some mechanical pencils with really good erasers, and some cool dry erase markers with erasers attached and magnets so they will stick to the metal door and not get lost. Don’t think he really NEEDED any school supplies but when you pass the displays you think about the kid who is leaving soon… :)</p>
<p>waving at PA… good to see you!!</p>
<p>safe travels aliceinw</p>
<p>mommusic…they can never have enough school supplies :)</p>
<p>Good morning. I’ve put the coffee on. </p>
<p>Way to go, mdem! Enjoy this break. </p>
<p>~~waving to PA. Thanks for coming by with the update. </p>
<p>mommusic, I thought about picking up some spiral notebooks the other day. Then found my self control. </p>
<p>Enjoy your time with D, alice. :)</p>
<p>Have a good vacation, kinderny. </p>
<p>YDS - no advice on the free-labor-from-afar question. That’s a new one on me. </p>
<p>Have a great Thursday.</p>
<p>thanks for the coffee DB!!</p>
<p>Morning! A quick check-in before ds1 and I head to the airport to see ds2! Soo excited, though we won’t really see him until Friday night.</p>
<p>Good morning! </p>
<p>Lot’s of news here. We had a fabulous vacation in Lake Tahoe. S3 is pretty much packed and ready for launch tomorrow. Yesterday S2’s GF came up and spent the day. She is a cute girl and seems very nice. S2 is ridiculously happy. During her visit D1 was exhibiting a little of her Alpha female behavior. Speaking of D1, she is getting her classroom for the start of school Sept. 3rd. She has ordered a couple of posters and a banner from her alma mater. She got some cute borders for the bulletin boards and is making a cute pennant banner. I made her a photo cube out of a wood block, photos and Mod Podge that turned out cute. I got on a roll and made one for S3 for his dorm room and for S2 with pictures from his Greece trip. </p>
<p>Have fun YDS!!!</p>
<p>Launch for senior year yesterday. Two cars full! Laughed out loud when I passed an open dorm room - not yet moved into. There was the huge 200 lb TV with a note from last years graduating seniors that they didn’t want to move it and hoped the new tenants enjoyed it! Can’t remember whose son moved in 3 years ago with the huge TV!
Dd will be taking 2 courses at another college in her college consortium with a cross registration. Lots of logistics in figuring this out which led to her having a car for her senior year. Sigh.
Hope all have successful senior launches.</p>
<p>Tonight S and DH installed a ceiling fan in his room, which we’ve been meaning to do all summer! Better late than never, I guess. He’ll appreciate it NEXT summer. It gets warm in there even with A/C because of heat from the computer modem etc. for the house as well as a server (which latter can go away as soon as the older boys download their old files. Or something. Someday.)</p>
<p>:cool: 
</p>
<p>I felt fall in the air today, I swear.
It was odd, this year local school started and I didn’t even know the date. I always knew before.
DS is hopefully A) going to go to the dentist before fall and B) going to get started on grad apps.
DD is off on one last hiking adventure before she starts grad school. Move in is Sept 6 and DH and I slipped up and are going to be gone on vacation.</p>
<p>This is the DD that we shipped off on the plane with 2 suitcases so I have never gotten to do a dorm move in with her. Would have been fun.</p>
<p>Good morning. Coffee’s up. Had a lovely vacation day yesterday including beach and dinner with D. And yoga. S should be joining us tonight. </p>
<p>The 200 lb. TV was 12rmh18’s S, BonnieNJ. </p>
<p>Best to all moving in, setting up, traveling, and beginning new school years. We have all traveled a long way - and with grad school to come for some. Thanks for all the sharing. </p>
<p>And a special shout out to YDS in DC. ~~</p>
<p>Happy Friday.</p>
<p>We are clearing out middle child’s bedroom, to make way for his younger sister (in our house, a college-aged kid loses the best bedroom to his next younger sibling)> DS told me he wanted only a few things, that he put in a couple of bins. Of course, he couldn’t be bothered to clear out stuff, and with his bipolar symptoms, it’s not worth fighting him (he leaves a month from Sunday for his gap year trip, THANK GOD!!). So DD and I put tons of books and stuffed animals in the hallway, getting ready to give it all away. Later in the evening, DS walked by the pile and said, “You’re not giving away my CHEETAHS, are you!!!” Sigh. One more month, one more month, one more month…</p>
<p>^2nd son had a stuffed cheetah that he LOVED. Eventually we threw it and many other of the stuffed toys away because we realized they were dirty and full of mildew spores. No way would the grandchildren be allowed to play with these toys! We do have a LOT of the good quality toys that could be washed & stored, however. Thank goodness for basements.</p>
<p>All my kids need to go through their closest for old school papers and books, however. I want my house back! But don’t want them to be sad that I threw things away…</p>
<p>Happy Friday, all! H and I are meeting S for lunch on his last day before dorm move-in. 
:(</p>
<p>TGIF to the iPeeps! HA, alicew beat me to the coffee. That MN coffee sure is strong!
WaVing to alicew on her vacation in MN. I hope you have a wonderful visit with your D & S.</p>
<p>ML: that’s actually kinda sweet about the cheetahs - DS is still a boy in a man’s body. Hang in there. One more month …</p>
<p>Yes, it was my S2 with the 250-lb TV 3 years ago. My, how things have changed! S2 finished his summer internship last Friday; on Saturday he moved from his sublet back to his off campus house, then drove home late that night. He was home Sun-Tue, then on Wed he launched himself and drove back to school to begin training for freshman orientation this weekend. 3 years ago he WAS the freshman; this year, he’s the upperclassman offering guidance on course selections and general information about COLLEGE (ie. do not get on the wrong side of the campus police :eek:). He’s grown up quite a bit over the past 3 years - not all of it was easy - but I am very proud of the person he is becoming. We purchased a new pickup truck several months ago to replace the 17-yr old Bionic Pickup. I am calling the new pickup the “Son of Bionic” or the “SOB.” S2 drove the SOB to COLLEGE loaded with the neighbor’s futon. 
Hey, at least it wasn’t a 250-lb TV (year 1)! Or a giant sound system & a pallet of laminate wood flooring (year 2) or a 3-piece sectional sofa (year 3).</p>
<p>And in more COLLEGE news, S1 has student orientation tomorrow and begins grad school on Monday. It felt like Christmas yesterday with a pile of packages on the doorstep. I was quite excited until I realized that all of the packages were textbooks for S1. He will be working full time and going to grad school in the evenings. He is covering all expenses himself; our contribution is letting him live at home (room & board), though he has informed us that DH & I might be a distraction to his studies :eek: My, how things have changed!</p>
<p>Here’s wishing all the iPeeps a great launch for the 4th year (and Beyond)!</p>
<p>Good morning! Thanks for the coffee! I might need a second cup. S2 doesn’t start school until the end of September, but he did move out of last year’s apartment and into this years apartment without any help from me, for which I am very thankful. S2 was supposed to be in charge of the electric bill. Every time he tried to sign up there was an issue (I think because he doesn’t have credit), so they never signed up, but continued to have electricity all year. Well I guess they finally caught up to them because they turned it off the day they moved out and sent a bill for $300. I am at work for 4 hours and hopefully when I return home the car will be packed for S3’s move-in. We drive 6 hours today and then move him in tomorrow.</p>