Parents of the HS Class of 2012 - Original

[saintfan]

I am having a strange interlude trying to pick a Japanese techno pop CD for nephew who also has a birthday today - DS and I feel as if we've fallen down the musical rabbit hole on this one.

D and her honor society group put on a music show fundraiser last night and raised $2000 for Gilda's Club in Seattle, a support center for families coping with cancer. They had an awareness week (purple week) last week, stayed late at school to take down decorations and clean off window paint. Then, she said, they ran around the halls playing Marco Polo at 10:30 pm. FUN!

She was thrilled with her American Idiot tickets (DS says "I told you so.")

BFF was coming to kidnap for birthday surprise party at 12:30 - tricked the kids into getting ready so DS wouldn't spill the beans - not great with secrets! pics over on flickr

Got final FA and work study paperwork in the mail and received back a graduation card from her admissions advisor with a lovely hand written note.

switching computers to be cont....

OK - back - DS wanted his laptop to listen while drumming

jmn- one of D's besties is will also be attending the Colorado School of Mines (or mimes ) - small world - and I see another Ole! Um Ya Ya!

yeah D of Lark on bagpipes

my mom is busy hunting down airplane tickets for move in and home and back for Christmas - merging miles with best prices - good mom

thanks for posting the local catcam PNWedwonk! I have semi-followed that story but not loked at the web site. Our kitty has finally gotten over her grudge after having been held and forced to sing happy birthday. She had previously been known as the only cat on the face of the earth who was incapable of holding a grudge with her record being 4 minutes (as opposed to the 2 weeks that a Siamese can hold one). She ignored us for a full 2 hours after backing out of the hug, flipping over my shoulder and sprinting for the back of the house. She was only "speaking" to DS because he had no part in the hug and was singing from across the room. Our "puppy" used to love the birthday song and frisk around the house when he heard it - the power of Frosty Paws!

OK - off to order my Japanese techno pop

Oh! - I cooked birthday bacon (the good, local thick slab stuff) and thought of you MizzBee as I saved the drippings in a separate clean container.

[weatherga]

@CPU and anyone who didn't yet join the Flickr group: send a PM to PghMomof2. Include your email address (but may have to spell it out like "mary at gmail dot com").

[rerunagain]

Oh saintfan---it's been bugging me why I though I knew someone who went to St. O. Duhhhhhhh not a student, but a past president. He was one of my grad school profs/advisors before he left for a stint as prez there.

[saintfan]

small world, rerun! Oles are taking over the earth . . . in secret.

DS is going through his yearbook which they got yeaterday. Both kids' pictures are good. Ds was the homemade senior picture that I posted on flickr. It looks really nice on the page. Lots of kids did homemade this year and I am liking how ours went. We went through past annuals and she picked out poses and backgrounds that she liked the look of. We then did demo shots on a different day to check clothing color and style, poses and yard foliage. After we chose top 2 poses, background locations and outfits we did a few more demo shots. We took the best combo and photographed on a new day at the time of day that we would have that SW light.

She is very happy with her "baby ad" the full page montage that I put together - and chuckled when I pointed out that I didn't include a sappy message - a few little short ones like "We are so proud of you." "Follow your dreams." and "You've come a long way, baby!" but no long drawn out thing (not that those aren't touching, but they would have made her cringe).

DS is gloating over his "drumstand" photo. The bass drum players do a thing where they put their drums on the ground and roll over the top into a headstand with drum still harnessed on the front and play their "funkybeat" drumline in the headstand position. He claims that he is the most vertical in the photo from the homecoming show - feet straight up in the air - Mr.Abs of Steel.

OH! and my TinyPrints have shipped - happy day!

[jmnva06]

Post soccer games today was all about younger D who turned 15 today. We did dinner and movie. We saw Moonrise Kingdom. I would highly recommend it.

Tomorrow is another day of lasts-- last piano recital (teacher let D pick a showtune) and last coaching game (D is head coach for 2nd grade girls soccer).

[rerunagain]

LOL saintfan--maybe so. Tell her that if there's a portrait of Fmr Prez Edwards somewhere to wave at it for me. LOVED his reformation seminar at Harvard!

[saintfan]

Ha! I had to reread your post about 4 times, rerun! I kept reading "former Vice prez Edwards" and thinking of John. I'm thinking "Wave at his portrait?" "Is there one there?" "Why?" I was all mixed up. Then you had me thinking of Renee and former Prez Clinton and I was contemplating your secret crush on John Edwards and we were supposed to wave at him - kind of like the moving portraits in Harry Potter. Oh my! I understand now and yes, we will wave if we see him (in oil or photographic reproduction).

[rerunagain]

Lol oops yeah sorry. "Mark U" not John!!!

[RTRMom2]

Well, today's the big day! My baby turns 18 today and it is finally grad party day. I hope I didn't forget anything important!

[glido]

rtrmom2: Congratulations! Have a GREAT day.

[ReneeD7]

Congratulations to the next batch of grads! So exciting, and I love hearing everyone's happiness here.

Our grad party was a great success. Perfect weather, friends from every corner, relatives too. And just as I'd hoped...my girl's kindergarten teacher surprised her and made an appearance! Her face was priceless. (She loved Mrs. Nelson.) It was a sweet day, and that moment made it for me.

Today I'm relaxing! Bloody marys with my girlfriend who is in from Savannah for the fun. There's also our town's Art by the Falls fest, and we may meander through that. Enjoy, everyone!

[Lark123]

Graduation was yesterday - It was held on the football field on a beautiful, sunny morning. As I mentioned, the seniors in the pipe band (bag pipes & drums) wore their gowns and performed w/ the other members of the band at the beginning of the ceremony, so that was super cool (D was one of two senior pipers). D's school is very diverse, so it was fun seeing the different families with their different styles of cheering/celebrating... The lady next to me offered to cheer and blow a noise maker for D which was sweet. Some graduates did little dances up to get their diplomas while some girls in extremely high platform shoes teetered to the podium... It was entertaining to watch, so the ceremony (1.5 hours) went quickly. I did get a bit teary. Afterwards my parents, my three daughters, dh and I went to lunch at one of D's favorite restaurants. Then D went off to a graduation party at a friends. So all in all, it was nice (although I could have done w/out the sound system delays during the speeches - think old high school football game where the speakers are delayed from what comes out of speakers closer to the speaker - very echo filled). My parents are going home today and will take the two youngest home w/ them for a few days while D stays here to work on some things that are due to Pomona by Friday, etc. I will try to post some grad pictures soon.

[annasdad]

Off to the one-day mandatory freshman orientation at Truman State this afternoon. Twelve hours of round-trip driving -in a rental car yet, since I don't trust either of our beaters to make it there and back - and a night in a motel to attend a five-hour-long program. Owell.

[familyof3boys]

Safe travels, annasdad. Hopefully you and DD will have some parent-child bonding during the drive.

[absweetmarie]

Interesting about the mandatory orientation at Truman State, annasdad. One of my D's classmates is going there, and this girl won't be finished with graduation until 5 p.m. this afternoon. Sounds like she and her Ps will have to head out west immediately after the ceremony today!