<p>Well, talking about books…my darling H gave me a 1940 edition of Leaves of Grass for our anniversary. Very sentimental to me. When I was in 4th grade my older sister who was severely disabled and later passed away helped me memorize a poem from the book for a recitation in school. We spent weeks on it and she helped me to get all this passion into my recitation. (I think the nun was shocked!)
I recently told H how sorry I was that I lost the copy of the book when my parents house was sold 20 years ago. Well he dug one up on Ebay! I can’t believe it - spent all morning going through it.
So, there are somethings technology can’t replace.</p>
<p>Have been trying to clean out closets and drawers and pulled out my original wedding band and engagement ring. I had D2 try them on since I had been thinking of handing them down to the girls. D1 is a size 0 and she could not get them on her fingers! I was shocked! She must have big hands for someone so tiny. Now I’m not sure what to do with them…melt down the gold and redesign something else???</p>
<p>Edit: crosspost with woody…How Sweet! What a great anniversary gift! He was really listening to you! Congrats on the anniversary!</p>
<p>woody- what a wonderful gift. Your post brought tears to my eyes.</p>
<p>DH and I have decided to take a trip in August to celebrate our 20th anniversary (which is this month. Dd1 was definitely a honeymoon baby!) She will already be back at school, and dd2 (now a junior in high school) wants to go to a 2-week language immersion program so we just realized that we could actually travel without kids. So, now the fun part starts…searching the internet and dreaming of where we’d like to go!</p>
<p>I’m leaning towards Italy. We’ve been there before, but only for a week, so there is so much more I’d like to see.</p>
<p>I’ve done lots of traveling and will recommend Bali as a place for a second honeymoon. I love Northern Italy, but I think Bali is the nicest place I’ve been [inland for physical beauty, interesting culture, and happy people, rather than the beaches, which are lovely, tropical Pacific beaches but are not what makes Bali special]. I’ve been to many other wonderful places but that would be my vote. It is a bit of work to get to but it is worth it.</p>
<p>You can have rings resized to be bigger, if your daughter would like to wear them.</p>
<p>Glad someone besides me watches the Kentucky Derby. Going in person is on my bucket list, to the extent I have one. </p>
<p>TheAnalyist, I have such mixed feelings about getting stuff super-cheap at Walmart. I know that they’re Bad Guys, but I sure like a bargain.</p>
<p>Woody, such a sweet husband and such a great memory of your sister!</p>
<p>More tongue-biting at church. A young woman with fantastic grades and stats has chosen a school that I think is about the worst fit she could choose. She is a smart, serious young woman who would have been a great fit for some of the LACs I had barely heard of before I started posting on CC. Instead, her list sounded like it was composed by a status-conscious Texas GC…but of all the questionable fits, she chose one that I think will make her miserable. But I just smiled and told her dad how great it was and that I was so happy for her! I hope I’m totally wrong and that she’ll be happy at her school of choice.</p>
<p>The truth about other people’s children: sometimes we think they know them, and really don’t have a clue. On the other hand, sometimes we know them all too well and only wish their parents did! Hope for the best, and be glad you aren’t her parents in either case!</p>
<p>Woody – your H actually heard you? Better than any book, but now he has the proof he has! Smart, smart guy! Happy day and even better night! ;)</p>
<p>Son’s school just voted to go with gender neutral housing. I have to say, I think the suites would run much better if there was a room of girls or two mixed in there!!! I guess they also have two room suites as well. I can see S rooming with a girl in either of these situations. In an apartment? That too. But in a 8x10 dorm room? No.</p>
<p>Re Missypie’s post</p>
<p>My husband and I felt that way about one of our older daughter’s friends. She chose a school for the name - but one that seemed to us a terrible fit for the girl. Obviously none of our business, so we kept our mouths shut.</p>
<p>In January of her first year at college, her parents put her on the plane in tears; she hated the school. The following year ended up being a gap year. Then she started again at a university that looks to be a much better fit - along with the added benefit that some age and experience have bestowed on her.</p>
<p>The more I think about the girl, the more I think that a bad firtmay be a good fit for her. I was thinking about where she went to HS. There is a school in town that would have been perfect for her - but instead she chose one at which she was somewhat of a social misfit. She has chosen the same sort of college. I think she sees herself as an intellectional social outcast…that identity would be in question if she went to a school where many of the students were like her.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me hang out my amateur psychologist shingle…I’d never talk about these issues to anyone IRL!</p>
<p>Interesting topic as D and I were just chatting about how insulted her dad and I are that M (our D’s best friend for grade school) did not invite us to her wedding. We took M so many weekends and even weeks as her parents were not available. I considered her my “waif” and really enjoyed her presence. Her parents kicked in when she was 16 or so. We had some social dinners and such but dropped them when M and D were about 19 and the parents were borish towards some lovely people at a dinner party. I will always believe that I knew and understood little M far more than her parents did from ages 3-15. I am glad they did finally feel comfortable learning to know their child. But as my D pointed out–they never saw this. For them all was good.
Took S to school where he turned back into the mouthy kid he can be as we tried to purge some of his stuff and he could not accept that 10 more days of school does not mean 4 towels and 5 pairs of jeans.</p>
<p>So pleased my US visa was just granted! Its a lot more nerve wracking than you may imagine being the holder of a Zimbabwean passport .here we nickname it the green mamba ( a very aggressive and deadly African snake!) So at last I am going to get an eyeball at Ss campus, and meet his close friends and a couple of the profs. .H and I land JFK Thurs morning, and will be at the campus that day as Ss last day pre exams on Friday is pretty booked up. Am really really really pleased and excited! S is in a great res next semester, in a suite with his present room mate, who he really digs, and two juniors and two seniors, so I will get to see that too. He has been asked to coach field hockey next semester, the girls! He played goalie here in Zim for his senior school, and has been playing with the college girls team past couple of months as their goalie wasnt around. He even went with them and played in an off season tournament last weekend! No, have no idea of the rules allowing a male to play I did ask no answer, but I see the photos on facebook! He has had two jobs on campus this past semester, overseeing the high end computer lab and ditto the photo lab couple afternoons. Next semester he will have the hockey coaching job, and some sort of photographic internship on campus. Think taking the campus sports photos? Yes I did ask .cannot begin to tell you how cool it will be to get some answers finally YAY YAYAYAYAY!!!</p>
<p>Hey Zim – I was getting all excited for you, just reading your post! Hope you have a fabulous trip here and get all your “questions” answered. </p>
<p>In our house, D answers more questions than we ask, and S somehow manages not to answer questions, even when I have him “cornered!” I’m hoping this is a teen guy stage that will pass. Who’d ever believe as a little boy he talked and asked questions non-stop?</p>
<p>D graduates 2 weeks from today. We’re hosting a graduation party (fairly small; mostly family) in 20 days. I’m a little freaked out by how much yard work I have to do by then …</p>
<p>Zim, I hope you have Internet access and keep us posted about your trip in real time.</p>
<p>CBB, I planted a couple of flats of annuals this week-end but our yard is not in ideal condition. We had our pool filled in this past winter and the grass they planted doesn’t match the rest of the lawn. We will have to fix that but it won’t happen in the next two weeks. </p>
<p>S1 is getting nervous about his ability to “do” the job. The salary scale in Brazil is lower than in the U.S. so he will be living lean until he gets his first raise (expected in six months). I think most young grads continue to live at home in that culture so while all of his costs are paid while on the road, there won’t be a lot of extra after covering the high cost of rent while he is in Rio. I told him he should wait on getting a smartphone because he can’t afford the data plan yet. Thank goodness he doesn’t have any student loans.</p>
<p>Zim- that’s great!</p>
<p>Re: Kentucky Derby. Way back in college, one of my best friends was from Louisville and her dad got a few of us tickets for the infield or whatever the cheap “party area” is called. I couldn’t go at the last minute b/c of a bio lab project. Of course friends had a great time.</p>
<p>Fast forward to 1990 and in-laws were living in Louisville, H & I visited during Derby week with no plans to go. In-laws friends came through with some incredible box seat tickets about 8 feet from the track! I had dress with me, but no time to get a hat. So if you ever see pictures from the 1990 Derby and see a woman in a yellow silk dress without a hat, that’s me. Hat or not, it was fabulous. Go if you ever get the chance.</p>
<p>Zim, so happy for you. Have a safe flight, and take plenty of photos!</p>
<p>Zim - Your post made me smile.</p>
<p>Zim, you sound so excited…have a great time!</p>
<p>Zim-I’m so happy that you get to see in person your son’s new home away from home and meet all his friends.</p>
<p>I love that he is actually playing on the women’s field hockey team! It’s probably very funny to him that here in the US it is a “girl’s sport” typically.</p>
<p>He sounds like he’s the kind of guy who very easily becomes at home in a new place, makes lots of friends, earns people’s respect and then gets offered all sorts of interesting opportunities!</p>
<p>Oh, Zim - I am so excited for you! I hope you have Internet access so we can welcome you to the US when you touch down :)</p>