<p>REUs provide an opportunity to go someplace for the summer (usually a university, but not always) and do research, and get paid for it - usually $4-5K for the summer, from the ones I’ve seen. And they usually provide room and board, too. It’s a pretty sweet deal.</p>
<p>So they are highly desirable, and there is usually a lot of competition for them. They are hard to get. To get two of them? Wow.</p>
<p>Yes 2! Last year he did an REU so he wasn’t expecting another even though he applied to a number of them. This year one offer is an undergrad fellowship and the other is a straight internship. I am so PROUD!!</p>
<p>Research Experience for Undergrads (REU) are funded by the feds to promote real research experience for college students. The students really do learn a lot while getting paid and the facilities do get some good cheap motivated labor.</p>
<p>My son (currently a sophomore) stayed on campus last summer to do research with his Sociology professor. He just found out that the paper he submitted about his research was accepted for presentation at the 2014 American Sociological Association’s annual meeting. And he just got a grant from his college to stay on campus this summer to do research for 10 weeks with one of his Biology professors (double major in Soc and Bio). </p>
<p>Today is the first day in a very, very, VERY long time that I’ve been proud of my state. </p>
<p>D got a permission to take a week off work to visit the schools where she got accepted! And the airfares were reasonable for flights with only 1 stop and a reasonable layover in Amsterdam! :)</p>
<p>Went out to dinner tonight with DS and his gf.</p>
<p>DS picked up the check. :D</p>
<p>While last year D spent her spring break helping her Bf celebrate his graduation by going on a skiing & camping vacation, this year she is taking a Wilderness First Responder course.
It sounds very comprehensive and intense.</p>
<p>Am SO delighted–we filed our tax returns–both state and federal this week! This is by far the earliest we’ve ever been and I believe the second or maybe the 3rd time in our married life that we haven’t needed an extension! Hurrah! Am SO happy! It feels so freeing to know that we are DONE (and have calculations for 2014 estimated taxes, for which we made the 1st payment). Love our new CPA–really nice guy and competent office (tho I miss our former guy who died)!</p>
<p>D was just chosen to be the sole student from her school to do a service trip to Africa. Her district partnered with the We Day organization to send only one student per school. They leave in August.When they return and have to create and run a service project for the entire school year. She had to apply and interview-her answers blew me away…so very proud. She’s 14 and a freshmen-who knows what she will accomplish!</p>
<p>BB- Where is your dau and where’d she get in? Congrats!!!</p>
<p>No date yet set for the wedding. Probably in a year ?? </p>
<p>Made the last college payment for DS yesterday. 6 years - what a journey. </p>
<p>Ours was a 7 year journey of CC & private college payments, with 3 years of two in college at the same time. It sure feels good when both have at least gotten their bachelor’s degrees and taken a break from formal schooling and tuition expenses! Congrats & enjoy your “raise” now that there are no more tuition payments.</p>
<p>We finished and filed our taxes! Woohoo! One bonus about having college grads and no financial aid applications due is you can just put this off until April! </p>
<p>We DID IT! We got mom one pair of dressy walking shoes and a pair dressy flat sandals. She fits and likes both. Also got her two new pairs of socks to try out, so she can decide what she prefers. She has another 7 pairs of shoes coming in the mail! It’s wonderful seeing her in properly fitting shoes, after all these years!</p>
<p>Son has an assignment to cook something for his French class. He has chosen to try his hand at making my cornbread. He went to the grocery and bought a glass loaf pan, all the ingredients, and has called me several times throughout the evening for advice. So proud of him!</p>
<p>After 2 1/2 years essentially unemployed, our boomerang DS just started an interesting full-time job in his field with decent pay and full benefits. I’m not sure bragging is really appropriate; rather a major sigh of relief and a huge release of tension. He just saw I had CC open and asked if I was bragging about him; I told him there was a brag thread so here I am!</p>
<p>Yahhh for Marilyn’s son!</p>
<p>Congrats, Marilyn!!! YAY!!!</p>
<p>I will do a little shameless mommy bragging here too. DS#2 made it through 10 interviews and is accepting a new job that will be taking him across country (thats the sad part) but he will be near S#1 which is good. And he’ll be working for a great company. Current job found out he was looking, and ultimately taking the new position, and offered him a 25% raise (that is not a typo) to stay! Glad to know he is so appreciated, but all that said to him is that they knew he was underpaid for what he did.</p>
<p>Our daughter just received a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue her Master’s in wind energy at the Technical University of Denmark! She is over the moon happy, and we are so proud of her.</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone :).
I love reading all the happy news! </p>