We’ve been watching the price this summer but it’s been pretty high. We have to use United and a regional, smaller airport here. If it doesn’t come down we might have to have him fly to LA but that’s a Pita.
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@NateandAllisMom $2000 is crazy! Being limited to one airline and a regional airport certainly limits the options. Does he need to come home for Thanksgiving or could he spend the break with a friend on the East Coast? I hope you can a find cheaper solution!
We will probably fly him through LA or Burbank if it comes to that. I’d be super bummed to wait to see him until winter break. I can’t remember what we paid last year but it was a lot.
Confirming on the news today holiday airfares predicted to be up 40-45% from last year.
S went back to school yesterday. He had a great summer, but was excited to get back to his 2nd home and see all his friends.
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We moved The Boy back to school yesterday! He’s in an off campus apartment, just down the street and on the bus loop. His car is in the shop right now and it will still need a few more days so we’ll drive it up to him some time next weekend.
I’m in the throws of getting the twins through college app season right now lol…the first of their acceptances are starting to come in and they have about 2-3 more to submit between now and Oct/Nov.
Busy times!
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D21 worked full time for the admissions office as a tour guide this summer. She enjoyed it and the connections she made. She will be an RA for the upcoming school year. She now has a car on campus that she bought on her own - freedom!
I haven’t seen her since early January and won’t get to see her again until winter break. That’s a long time to be missing my kid!
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Moved D into her on campus apartment style dorm. D21 works for the uni dept: RISE: Risk intervention and Safety education. She has been at this job since last fall. She is growing into her own, this job has given her so much self confidence.
D and the team, makes presentations to classes, clubs, Frat and sorority houses, etc. host free events, workshops, awareness week and months, etc. RISE topics include Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, Sexual Assault Prevention, Healthy Relationships, Suicide Prevention, Stress Management, Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, and Bullying and Hazing Prevention.
It has been key to balance out the the EE/math courses.
Since her university is local, she has worked summer II, in training and learning how to better make class presentations, etc.
Hoping this translate to interviewing skills.
Hugs to you @Creaky, it sounds like your d is flourishing, that must make your heart happy.
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S returned to his school last night directly from his language immersion program.
His boxes were delivered into his dorm room as scheduled.
Today he started unpacking and met with some old friends he hadn’t seen since May and then grocery shopped. (They have a full kitchen! And now 2 bathrooms! Woo hoo!)
He is happy. We are relieved he’s settling in nicely per our FT conversation.
Can’t wait to see him Parents Weekend in Oct.
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DS worked remotely from home all summer. It was fortunate as we downsized and he was able to help move furniture, etc. We dropped him off on Monday and he said he has had a great time. He moved off the waitlist for a class that was very important to him. Currently has 18 hours but plans to add one more class. He took 21 last semester and I advised him against it but he said it is not that bad. He is incredibly disciplined with his time and does not like to be idle. Overall a very good summer and he seems off to a great start.
I hope they all have a great year!!!
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D was able to enjoy the post-Covid part of her Italy course (weekend trips to Cinq Terre,etc.) and keep her grades up despite ten days stuck in her room in Florence. She spent a few days visiting a college friend in the Chicago area and settled into a paid internship at our local courthouse for the rest of the summer. We’ll be taking her back this weekend….I’ll really miss her but I’m so excited for her year ahead….she has grown tremendously in confidence in the past year. Her freshman year, for me, was a time of holding my breath a little, not knowing what challenges would arise and how D would handle them outside of the confines of the small bubble she has lived in up to now. Though anything can happen anytime to derail a person, this coming year seems like a time to exhale a little… the road to adulthood seems a little more assured. She enjoyed her time at the courthouse and is really thinking about law school. Even if she changes that goal I think she is happier having a path to follow. She loves studying humanities and social sciences but is pragmatic enough to feel nervous without a clear career objective.
It’s great to hear from all of you who are checking in, …hope to hear more updates! I’ve taken a big break from CC this past year but thinking of rejoining the parent cafe a bit (though probably not as much as before). Very busy de-cluttering the house and transitioning to whatever comes next in life! I’m doing a lot of walking every day and using a stationary bike several times per week…I’m hoping to do a lot more traveling to national parks and hiking in the future, as well as visiting some old friends and family I haven’t seen in a long time.
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It is wonderful to read all the updates! I am still on here a lot with D23 ‘s applications kicking off.
D21 is back at school, enjoying a dorm on main campus, loves her classes (one is more than half grad students and she is the only sophomore—it seems it will be a big challenge), and has an important leadership role in her major/minor areas. She texted us she forgot over the summer how amazing it is there!
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Happy to report Thanksgiving airfare dropped by half this week and we put in a lock. I feel like the airline was playing chicken and blinked.
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That’s great. We won’t be seeing S at TG again this yr, but I am so glad to local parents that welcome him into their home.
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Hi all!! I’m rarely on CC these days, but nice to read the updates!
My D is back at JMU for sophomore year, living life! Just submitted her application to study in London Fall 2023, so looking forward to that!
She spent the summer home, hostessing/waitressing. Hoping for some type of internship this summer. She’s in the sorority house this year (still on campus), will go off campus after London. She has a paid residence life position for managing the sorority house, and just applied to be a student ambassador (giving tours). Definitely keeping busy!
Took the car this year - hoping it comes home with the catalytic converter!! Apparently an issue down there! But she’ll be home next Tuesday for fall break, then for Thanksgiving and Xmas - a nice spacing of breaks!
And we’ll be down there the weekend after Thanksgiving for the big JMU/coastal Carolina football game!
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Well not an update I would want to share but DD has to withdraw immediately. I’m devastated for how much she’s been suffering and exhausted trying to hold a space for her while also caring for my other children. First and foremost I’m glad she is “ok” and feels optimistic even though there is no plan yet. I never saw this coming as she’s always had such crystal clear ideas about what makes her happy and how she wanted to pursue her goals. Life is throwing major major curveballs. I know from my own personal experiences in my college years that amazing growth and opportunities will be knocking on her door. It is also helping me keep perspective for my DS who is still in high school and in muddy waters of his own. The grind, the pressures the rat race is all just too much for my kiddos and it’s not even coming from home. It’s from the world around them. I have no idea what the future holds but it’s certainly going to be better than what has been. This group is amazing, and I’m not leaving because the advice here is valuable and I know I’ll need it at some point. I just wanted to share because journeys vary widely and there is no one path to fulfillment and independence. May we always be kind and allow ourselves to change our minds.
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@Picklenut6 It sounds like you are responding exactly the way all of our children would want a parent to react - with love and support. Our children’s paths won’t always be straightforward, how we react does so much to let them know they are strong and resilient and we believe in them.
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Sophomore slump, anyone?
D21 had an amazing, terrific, fantastic first year, but this year not so much (to put it mildly). Lots of complaints about her classes, her friend group, her major, her professors — and, the necessity of even pursuing a college education at all. 
Wondering if sophomore slump is real? D17 did not experience it, so this caught us off guard.
Can we expect it to pass? Hoping it does not blossom into something bigger.
(Also, @Picklenut6 just want to send you a 
. Your D is fortunate to have you in her corner. Wishing you & her the best).
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@Picklenut6 I haven’t been on CC for months; but got on today to catch up a bit and saw your post. Sounds like your daughter has in the past planned, problem-solved, and decided on her best path forward. With your love and support, she will get there again, I’m sure. Wishing her and you and your family the best. Hang in there! A life well lived is bumpy sometimes…
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Same with my daughter! Friend drama (first time since middle school), grades (started sophomore year with a 4.0, ended up dropping calc 3 and is down to 13 credits), moved off campus to a complex that is like a resort, loves her 2 roommates but is really missing her dorm and being on campus (she’s very social, and even though she is a 5 minute drive from campus and there is a private shuttle, she doesn’t have a car). She thought about subleasing her room and moving into her sorority dorm, but doesn’t want yo do that to her roommates). She’s come out and said that this year is so different from last year. She spent 4 years in high school with her friend group of 10, no drama. Last year she loved every minute of her college experience.
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