<p>Wow, that is a long engagement, alice. Do you think it has to do with things like finding a venue, that you have to book way in advance?</p>
<p>DS had fun at the ultimate tourney this weekend, though they didn’t do well. I didn’t realize this team was all guys from the pickup game so it’s not like they officially practiced together or anything. There were only nine guys, so he played almost nonstop. Oh, to be that young and in shape!</p>
<p>The coming empty nest means all the chores are going to fall to me, so maybe we can mow together, mommusic.</p>
<p>Great update Donnagal!! Very exciting stuff!!</p>
<p>Alice: Seems like a really long engagement. </p>
<p>S2 still has a couple weeks til school starts. D1 survived her first week as a “real” teacher and did great! S3 was successfully launched, joined a fraternity and got a 100% on his first college math quiz.</p>
<p>I guess I’m late to the party. The coffee is definitely cold. I am hoping to get out of work soon so I can spend some more time with my S before he heads back to school on Sunday (sniff).</p>
<p>Good morning and greetings from the office at my new job. As soon as I can figure out how work this fancy shmancy coffee maker I’ll put a pot on for all of us. </p>
<p>I’ve been MIA for last several weeks due to deploying my exit strategy at the old job, followed by a nice stay-cation with H. I feel like my life is coming back to me and I’m emerging from a fog. Whew. </p>
<p>In college news, S is showing a little school pride on his fb page. He actually acknowledges that his U is in the US News top 25. What’s come over him?!?!? Is he getting a little sentimental now that graduation is within sight? ;)</p>
<p>D remains perfectly content at her school. Although, H and I find ourselves wondering if she’s spreading herself too thin. :-/ </p>
<p>Take care. Have a great day. (Boy, it’s great to be back here.) :)</p>
<p>Me too, DB. Glad you are out of the old place and acclimating at the new one. But learn to use that coffee machine quickly or we’ll be very cranky.</p>
Speaking of which, who has kids on track to graduate on time in the spring? S1 is going for a “grad check” Friday, and I’m praying that he is - his scholarship will only pay for eight semesters. We have enough in savings that we could carry him one more semester if we had to, but I had hoped to use that as a lump-sum payment on student loans after graduation …</p>
<p>Mine’s had a few of those check ups and fingers crossed will be done in June. He better be- they told him he should double major so he did- but if he hadn’t taken that on he would be done in the winter.</p>
<p>Oops! Forgot to say very happy for DB and the new job!! Hope it goes smoothly and you quickly become one of those lucky few who love their jobs! ( lol- I need to get on that Job search thing myself…)</p>
<p>S1 has a double major in sports journalism and history. He’s done with all his history credits (most of which he got from AP in HS) but still needs to finish his foreign language requirement (German … ugh!) and some journalism courses. He could probably graduate in May strictly on the history major but I’d rather he got everything done for both majors.</p>
<p>My S is planning to graduate on time, but in my view he has a formidable amount of work ahead of him to achieve that. The first trimester will likely be the worst - he will start on a two term joint project as his capstone for his CS major, he will start, finish and present a research paper on a topic of his professor/supervisor’s choosing as his capstone for Math (and they haven’t told him who that will be yet - guess he will find out Monday), he will take two additional courses (one is Astronomy 101, meant to lighten the load a bit), he will be one of two captains of the frisbee team as well as its treasurer, which means arranging all practices, tournament enrollment and travel, etc., and he is my kid who really appreciates down time. He had actually agreed to be a grader for a CS course as well - but I talked him into declining the job since he has done it before (nothing to learn) and mercifully has enough saved to carry him through the term. Hoping he survives and that winter and spring terms are a little more relaxed. Maybe he will even find time to look for a job??</p>
<p>S2 is on track to graduate. He could easily graduate a quarter early, but is having too much for that. The problem is not graduating, but what he wants to do after graduation. His plan is to go to the Career Center on a daily basis until he figures it out.</p>
<p>Good idea about seeing the advisor for a grad check. I’ll nudge Son to do that. We’re pretty sure he’s on track. But, it’s always better to get it officially from the school.</p>
<p>With DS’s setbacks, he’s still a junior, but I’m happy with that! He is taking three classes this semester. Two of them are online, and the third meets just one time a week, for 2 1/2 hours. He is stable and passed the road test to get his Maine driver’s license. It took him four tries back when he was healthy, but only two tries this time. Whew! He’s still not back to the place he was before his hospitalization in March, but doing a little better every day. He’s still as sweet and cooperative as ever. He actually pitches in around the house without being asked!</p>
<p>S2 is getting ready to go off to his gap year program in 12 days. He’s still snarly as ever, but his doctor is letting him go off his meds, he’s been doing so well. He has fouled the nest almost beyond repair, but I try to stay positive. To be honest, I can’t imagine that I will miss him, but I probably will.</p>
<p>Now I’m off to see my counselor, so I can vent to her!</p>
!</p>