<p>Mod the pearls sound lovely. H gave me a beautiful strand for our first wedding anniversary. I have never worn them! But that is because he did not get the length I would have worn and I did not think to have it expanded. Now that I am older they would look lovely but we just do not dress around here very often and so there they are. My D would wear them if they were longer so I will keep that thought for her wedding someday.<br>
All of the gifts sound well though out. I have already offered S a new suit as an early graduation gift. He and DIL are now planning a small church ceremony with immediate family next Sept. (they were married by a JP a year ago) and the parents are giving a home reception. Remember all the angst with our reception this past Dec? Well now her mom has decided that it will be nicer than their family potlucks and may have it catered. (LOL) Guess she liked what we did. My D is wondering when all of these events will end but she pointed out that as long as they are still planning this stuff they must be doing ok together.</p>
<p>I have been at a shower with the bride groom question game. It was a nice ice breaker and brought some humor into the party.</p>
<p>Terrible about all of the flooding. NM I am so sorry you still have snow! I trust though that your skies are blue. We have had some grim days here with very disheartening grey gloom. I am finding it more and more difficult to cope with it. Suggested to H we may have to go away somewhere for these months after he retires. But the skies are blue today and I am loving it.</p>
<p>I am enjoying reading all of the great posts about interviews an grad school. What a
nice group of kids!</p>
<p>Today I am sure we will find out if BF is coming to Spain with us. Not sure if I mentioned that H and I decided to even pay for their tickets this past Sunday. So the issue is his worries that his mom is feeling left out (?!). “if we had invited them to go with us it would be different”. (?!) I feel a bit passive aggressive for stacking the deck with the ticket but we will see now how this is handled. The silver lining is D and BF are really talking about issues like this and how it will impact their future. Wish H and I had understood family of origin dynamics before we married…would have saved us a lot of grief.</p>
<p>RM, A pen set sounds nice and is always useful. Maybe a nice leather portfolio. Other things we’ve gotten in the past for guys-engraved Dalvey of Scotland compass, engraved pewter Jefferson cups and julep cups, leather passport case and leather change base from Mulholland Brothers. It does seem like you don’t see briefcases that much these days. Probably not 3 ring binders either-I just looked on Mulholland Brothers website and they have a leather 3 ring binder originally at $265 for $50. I’m tempted to buy it but not sure who would use it!</p>
<p>oregon…D2 has the J Crew pearl necklace that she will wear with jeans, silky tee shirt and a Chanel-esque blazer. She wears it to class, out to dinner or to work on casual jean days on Fridays. You should wear your pearls! They can brighten your day! :)</p>
<p>And why would/should you invite the BF’s parents to Spain??? I really don’t get that at all!</p>
<p>I decided long ago that if Son ever does anything substantial worth celebrating…degree, “real” job, etc…I will take him to NYC to see shows and museums.</p>
<p>We’ve got 10" of “spring” on the lawn. But at least I’m inside and cozy. Really sorry for all the flooding up in Minnesota – just awful. We still so desperately need soil moisture and runoff to fill reservoirs that I can’t be too unhappy with the snow. I just hope our mountains got feet of it. </p>
<p>Managed to burn up the new tea kettle. I was one room over and never heard the whistle - came in to find it glowing, and with the plastic on the lid melted to the metal. Ordered a new teakettle – the one on amazon that had the most “really loud” user comments on the whistle. If I can’t hear that one well, time to go to the electric kettle even if DH hates it.</p>
<p>Did you all see the article about the newscaster who managed to get fired the very first day of his very first broadcast job after dropping an f-bomb on air?</p>
<p>Oh yes. H the Puritan launched into this entire lengthy lecture about the importance of not getting into the habit of swearing…but as I was the only other person up, I was the sole beneficiary of the lecture, and I certainly didn’t need it.</p>
<p>Ha! MP after 4 years you still can make me crack-up!
D is getting a class ring and a gorgeous leather portfolio for graduation from us. For a ridiculously low price, she can have a one-year membership at her school’s club in NYC, so the grandparents are doing that. Various jewelry, cash and a frame for her diploma from the numerous aunties!</p>
<p>Some good friends have a grandson who would be in our 2013 cohort. Went to the Culinary Institute of America in fall 2009. Did their two year chef’s program, including work stints arranged through school at top restaurants in NYC. Graduated. Got low-level jobs at various high end restaurants here, moved up a few months later (got to actually cook rather than assembling salads), moved to SF, got a job as a sous chef at a very notable restaurant. Moved up, got taken around with the head chef to various events around the country where the head chef was cooking. (You don’t think Emeril preps his own onions, do you?) He’s a great chef – I was lucky to be at a dinner party where he did the cooking, and everything was amazing.</p>
<p>And last month – just before some of our 2013’ers are graduating, he left the job at the fancy restaurant to become a personal chef for a fabulously* wealthy couple. Who provide him with a guest house for their home down in Pacifica, a room at their place in Tahoe, and a garage in San Francisco for the SUV they gave him to use since you certainly need something to haul groceries in. And a much higher salary than he was earning at the restaurants, and benefits. </p>
<p>Many paths. </p>
<p>(*How fabulously wealthy? The budget they gave him for food & kitchen supplies is $6,000 a month. That does not include his salary or cleaning supplies.)</p>
<p>Yeah, Many paths. The kid who was on older son’s basketball team in high school (and who was also a standout football player) just signed a multi million (30 plus)dollar NFL contract. My kids sure missed the boat there! Both athletic but certainly not NFL or NBA material.</p>
<p>yep… and I am more than certain we will be hearing about Mcson or another who have done some sort of fabulous nationally note-worthy something. I just know it.</p>
<p>And yes, Missy… perhaps not puritan, but H does love to pontificate to me when no one else is around. I realized the other day I can literally STOP listening on a dime… it’s really quite rude and I don’t mean to… but I can be looking straight at him, not hear a word he’s saying and wonder if he’s trimmed his nose hairs recently. :)</p>
<p>Fortunately, he notes the glassy eyed look and moves on. (hopefully to find the little trimmer scissors!)</p>
<p>arabrab–Made my day “$6,000” And wouldn’t that be fun! and to think I am embarrassed of our food bill…</p>
<p>BF has accepted the Spain invitation. He called me personally to accept and, as he is a southern gentleman in his heart, (though from the west coast) was profuse in his thanks.
Neither D nor I know if he talked to his mother before accepting. He said he wanted to call her but then maybe did not reach her. I hope he did not reach her and made his own decision. He did tell me that he had left D out on the thanks at the speech and was trying to make amends. I talked about “recovery”…my new term in therapy. We all make mistakes but it is the recovery that makes the difference. H is not liking this too much…he wants to believe that once an event is over that it is done. It has been a good thing to watch him react to BF hurting D’s feelings. OH YEAH, I am so getting mileage out this:)
Missy-- H will cross his arms and purse his lips and let me know that whatever I have done (swear, drink more wine than he approves of…) but it is no longer working. I decided a few months ago to stop letting it affect me. I think he is puzzled.
Mod–bought H a battery operated nose hair thing and now just put it out and say not a word. He acted so insulted! before but really? does he think his patients want to see this.
At least he got it early on that I detest hair growing out of men’s ears and on the top of their nose. We have plucked and shaved and so on so why are they exempt?</p>
<p>Ha! I also have a thing about nose and ear hair on men! H has been using the trimmer for years since he lives with a house full of women! Actually Santa brought it for Christmas one year! Grosses me out when I see old men with hair pouring out of their ears!!! :eek:</p>
<p>We transitioned to electric kettles. Faster and work well when it is cold.</p>
<p>Graduation presents. We asked ShawSon what he’d like for a graduation present. And the answer was … “nothing.” </p>
<p>I bought pearls for ShawD’s HS graduation and for her college graduation on a trip to India. For HS, I gave her blue pearls. For graduation white.</p>
<p>For the most part, kids don’t wear watches anymore.</p>
<p>Please STOP, STOP!!! I can’t take all this talk about extraneous hair!!</p>
<p>Well, they made not NEED to wear watches but those big honking watches are de riguer in some circles!
(Nurses would never wear wrist watches though…)</p>
<p>Yes,Some young guys still do like and wear watches. My older kid likes his watch(es) and my younger one mentioned wanting one for graduation. One of older son’s friends stayed at our house last year with son when they were here in town for a friend’s wedding. Somehow, over the weekend, thr friend lost his watch (which had been a present from his parents). He was very upset-went over our house and any car he had been in numerous times before finally giving up the thought that he may have just misplaced it instead of losing it. We all tried to help in looking for it-in the house, in cars, on the street ,etc. but it never did turn up. It actually was a bummer that it never turned up.</p>
<p>Tonight I had a new worry thought. (know this not entirely new) How will we go on? Do we need to change our name? Thoughts? It would be interesting to still know our stuff even 10 years from now…or am I being weird. Like keeping up with grade school parents?
I really would enjoy knowing about employment, marriages, retirement issues from this group. And I will always have the oldest grandchild!</p>
<p>AND I will look forward to the extra hair discussion!</p>
<p>I try to not think too much about H’s hair! He has had a well trimmed beard for the whole time I’ve been married to him (30 + years) so he seems to be pretty good about keeping the excess hair at bay! I hear trimmers, see razors and little scissors but stay out of knowing or caring too much about the details!</p>
<p>I have to say… it is this weird little world we’ve created, this is for sure.</p>
<p>Would really like to know more about this “recovery” thing.</p>
<p>Did I mention that my therapist died yesterday? She’s been sick for well over a year and had closed her practice, which was terribly terribly sad. I cried more when her cancer came back than I did when my own mother was diagnosed. But to read her Caringbridge site over the last few weeks was to understand just how special she was to so many, many people in such real and deep ways. Even though I haven’t seen her in quite some time, I will miss her terribly still. Heaven got a little brighter just because she showed up! Her partner wrote that it must be pretty good on the other side because she died with a beautiful smile on her face. God, I loved her. She really did save me or at least gave me the strength to always carry on. Every day. Mostly with a smile. :)</p>
Grosses me out when I see old men with hair pouring out of their ears!!! :eek:</p>