<p>cross your fingers…S2 ended up with a 89.99 for his online course…will it be posted as an A or a B??? wont know until they post as final grade!</p>
<p>Ohhh, I hope they round in his favor (though I know many of D1’s professors have not been so generous!) - either way, well done!!!</p>
<p>And I’m finally a senior member 
Would have gotten here sooner if not for my change of identity but got here just the same, LOL!</p>
<p>Can’t believe it’s Monday back to work already. Ugh!</p>
<p>DB - Happy B-day to your S. Love the record player. H set up one for D2 a few months ago and she has a huge record collection since both H and I never got rid of our records plus she has been adding new ones.</p>
<p>Had a great Saturday in the mountains with D as she had the afternoon off since her campers left in the morning. We went to a wonderful place for an early dinner and had a nice walk around the camp. Yesterday D got her last group of campers. I go to pick her up in 16 days for her last week at home before heading back to school.</p>
<p>We had a nice dinner last night with my parents when we picked up D2 after her visit with them. She had a great time getting spoiled by her grandparents and she also did some online stuff on some college apps. Today she goes to have her senior pictures taken.</p>
<p>p56, it will be a crime if that score doesn’t convert to an A.</p>
<p>you should have seen his face…jaw dropped and omg comments lol</p>
<p>p56 - I hope that score converts to an A. D2 had a teacher last year in high school that would not give her an A when her score was 89.95%!</p>
<p>
Aw man! Hoping hard for the tip!</p>
<p>woohoo…its an A!!!</p>
<p>Woot woot! :)</p>
<p>Yeah for the A!</p>
<p>Yeah for the A… of course, if he is like certain DSs, he will be wondering if he could have cut it a little closer…</p>
<p>
. </p>
<p>Not just possible but probable - along the lines of a certain stuffed rabbit I’ll never mention again. Just because their tires are bald, paint is faded and they wheeze a bit going up hills, (hey…wait a minute…). When our kids were small we had the ‘blue car’ and the ‘gold car’. The blue car was an '86 Pontiac Grand Am. They were very upset when we got rid of it - but were mollified when we told them we had given it to their cousin. When we made trips back to DW’s home they would make us go see it. It was such a clunker at that point…</p>
<p>GSharp: the Bionic Pickup sends sincere sympathies to you & your family on the loss of a dear old friend. 
I will feel the same way when Bionic bites the dust.</p>
<p>Glad to see that G# and IL feel the same way about their old cars as I did about our old refrigerator! Actually, I’m often sorry to see cars go. They’ve carried my family and kept us safe for many years, in all sorts of weather. I remember when the guy came to pick up our Taurus, which was the car we brought both babies home from the hospital in. I tried to get the kids (who were in upper elementary school at that point) to come and wave goodbye to the car as it was pulled up onto a flatbed… they looked at me like I was nuts. “Mom, it’s a car.” </p>
<p>Certain things just seem to be symbols of our kids’ childhoods and their passing really jumps out at us. For some people, Toy Story 3 or the Harry Potter series affect them. </p>
<p>We have a cat that D chose from the pound when she was 4 (the cat was about a year old). Now kitty is 16 and clearly going downhill - her eyesight and hearing are weaker, and she sleeps even more than most cats. Sometimes she tries to jump up on something and misses (and I’m sad to admit that we usually laugh at her, because she turns and strolls away like, “It’s fine. I meant to do that.”) When kitty dies, it will be rough on me.</p>
<p>Also, the year after we moved into this house I planted a row of poplars that were no more than 3 foot tall sticks. We wanted them to mark the back corner of the property, so the kids would know not to wander off into the meadow and woods behind them. They grew so tall that that they towered over the yard and swayed dangerously in the wind, so the week after D left for college I had them removed. But man did my heart THUNK when that first tree was cut and fell to the ground. I didn’t realize how symbolic those trees were until that moment. It’s like they were the guardians of my kids, but now my kids were old enough that they no longer needed guarding.</p>
<p>Awww, Laf, tears swelled over your trees. So evocative of our feelings as parents.
What a day: stock market is crazy. So, glad I already paid this semester’s tuition for dd2.
Dd1 lives in one of the sections of London that has had the looting and rioting. She is a bit off the beaten track but still a worry. I kept hoping that there would be no emergency with my granddaughter requiring an ambulance. She is doing wonderfully well … but still I worry.
And, Dd2 is in North Korea which got pounded today by the remnants of a typhoon.
No way to get in touch with her so am keeping my fingers crossed that all is well. She will be back in China on Wednesday in transit to South Korea. I’m either taking deep cleansing breathes until then or holding my breath!
I bought my car ten years ago when dd1 graduated from Chicago. It was a big splurge and now has 150k miles. I am hoping to keep it for 100k more!</p>
<p> 
</p>
<p>Sending prayers and good wishes to all those with healing family members, friends, and pets.</p>
<p>GSharpM7 - So sorry to hear about your truck. My dear husband is trying hard to save our very old Camry from the graveyard. He is looking for some clamp to repair the broken drive shift cable. I told him to bite the bullet and get it repaired by a professional. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>BUandBC82 and jc40 - I hope the meetings are flying by so you can be where you need to be - in your classroom! I am hoping that our school district will find $$ for SmartBoards soon. They are so cool! (Actually, I would be happy to have a document camera… I am still using an overhead projector.)</p>
<p>jc40 - I’m sure your dear daughter will do just fine!</p>
<p>shillyshally - Thank you for mentioning Matt Damon’s speech. He’s a sweetheart. On another note, my brother just completed an MS Challenge 150 mile bike ride. :)</p>
<p>♬♬ Happy Birthday aliceinw! ♬♬
♬♬ Happy Birthday to 2education’s son! ♬♬
♬♬ Happy Birthday to DougBetsy’s son! ♬♬</p>
<p> 
Happy Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. showmom858, Mr. and Mrs. Lafalum84, Mr. and Mrs. CheckersMidwest, Mr. and Mrs. somewhereinga, and Mrs. and Mrs. SWTCAT! Does that cover the August couples?</p>
<p>Wishing all the best to the kiddos beginning new jobs, those returning from summer travel, and those heading back to school. {{{HUGS}}} to you, Bonnie.</p>
<p>Yesterday, my husband took our son to see the Twins play the White Sox. The Twins just can’t seem to get it together this year. But the guys had a fantastic afternoon and our son enjoyed a rare day off. We had a nice surprise invitation to join our daughter for dinner last night. She is a great cook!</p>
<p>Waving and wishing everyone a great week!</p>
<p>Staying 
</p>
<p>Laf: Your story about your car had me recall the time we sold our Suburban. I always thought it looked like a tank, but it kept us safe all those years. Then, when we sold it, I had our boys pile in the back to take a picture and just like a picture I had taken when they were so young. This time, they could hardly fit and of course, they squabbled, just like old times. I love the story about your tree. How sweet! And forget about the pets. I’d so miss our cat and dog. So different, and both spoil me with their happiness.</p>
<p>Bonnie, London’s riots and Korean typhoons. Tell me, were you heavily invested in BoA stock too?</p>
<p>P56: WooHoo to the A!</p>
<p>IL: now I’m getting all sad here. Just because their tires are bald, paint is faded and they wheeze a bit going up hills… For awhile there, I thought you were talking about my mother.</p>
<p>Mom update: poor thing turns out to have 3 major issues with her swallowing, some of it also affecting her heart/lungs. initial swallow sometimes causes aspiration, her esophagus narrows with the contact of her aorta (causing it not to properly “rest”) and stomach reflux. And she’s a foodie! But she’s also a trooper and determined to get out of the hospital. She’s coming home tomorrow. Now I have to do some major cooking (or pureeing) to get her healthy again.</p>
<p>ETA: welcome back BT! I missed all your happy rays of sun here.</p>
<p>goodness guys…all these stories of trees, cars, etc…are making me feel weepy!! so much mixed emotion with the passage of our kids from children to adults! </p>
<p>S2 is very happy!!! oh and he is also now a junior with 61 credits!</p>
<p>lima… i really hope you mom does better once home and with you caring for her…you are such a strong person!!!</p>
<p>waving at BT!!!</p>
<p>Bonnie…hope your D’s are all safe…thoughts with you! must be so hard not being able to contact your d. It’s time for you to catch a break!</p>
<p>Lily update…she is home from the vet!!! she can walk on her legs with a sling under her stomach to take some weight for about 6 feet… yesterday she only had hip movement…so big improvement today. bladder is functioning again too.</p>
<p>Ditto BlessedTwice’s wonderful birthday and anniversary wishes</p>
<p>Add my DS to the wisdom teeth removal brigade tomorrow</p>
<p>DD is home and I am so happy, we had belated ice cream Bday cake tonight and her boyfriend is here visiting our first in person time with him. Of course my brother & sister were here for dinner as the family has to check him out. He is very nice and I can see how happy she is with him so of course I’m happy too.</p>
<p>Lima I hope your mom starts feeling better soon, I’m always amazed at how strong some are in their 90’s when health problems arise.
I guess you don’t get to 90+ giving in easily. Not too long ago I had 8 home care pts 90 to 99 at one time, it was an inspiring experience for me.</p>
<p>ML Thanks for updating us with how well things are going with DSs visit.</p>
<p>
My mother has been telling me the same thing. One day well learn and actually listen to our parents. ;)</p>
<p>St. Lima Continued hopes for a break for you and the entire Beanie family and healing thoughts to your mother she sure raised a wonderful daughter! I was really glad that my truck made it home before it died. Much better than an hour away at midnight. It is right at 200K miles, so it is due for a rest. </p>
<p>Thanx everyone for the kind thoughts for my defunct truck. I was hoping to make it to 240K so I could say that I drove it to the moon. I could try to resurrect it, but I think that it needs a new transmission. It is one of only 2 vehicles that I have had since I graduated from college. The first one got kinda crunched by a dump truck with me in it. Im going to see if the local school system has an automotive Vo-Tech program and give the truck to them for practice, if they want it. Of course, DW has had several vehicles as she was the real family chauffer. The Ds procured the Mustang that I bought her for her 40th birthday.</p>
<p>Jc40 Yes, D2 is going to be a cheerleader again this year. After doing the fund raising last year to buy new uniforms, she may as well actually wear one. Im hoping that they went with something in the doubty to demure spectrum. A burlap moo-moo would be nice. Were not even sure how the newspaper got her name, but they hunted her down at work and set up the interview. My Ds have their moments too, but for the most part are a fairly grounded mix of Princess and Pauper. The only remedy that I see for your particular situation is a new car for D a nice Wahoo colored Ferrari should do the trick! Maybe grandpa could take care of that. ;)</p>
<p>Happy Vinyl B-Day to DBs analog baby S! He looks so cute in his little blue blanket. ;)</p>
<p>ShillyShally Congrats on becoming a Senior Member (I think). Does this mean that you get the senior discount at the Parents Café? ;)</p>
<p>P56 Yay for rounding!</p>
<p>LAF No love loss here for poplars. Hurricane Isabel dropped 2 huge ones on my house a few years ago.</p>
<p>New Truck Expensive
Tuition Payment - Expensive
Receiving the first email from your daughters new company account Priceless (even if it is asking for help with interpreting benefits).</p>
<p>D1 may be able to move into her new apartment on Wed. Keep your fingers crossed. The lady at the front desk at the hotel where she is staying asked her if her dad was mad that she was using up his points… “No, I think that he’s just happy that I have a job.” 
After one day, she likes the job, even if they are more conservative than where I worked in LA. Duh, its DC. Sat in several meetings today
get used to it. No Macs, she has to re-learn to use Windoze.</p>
<p>This is D2s last week as an intern. Its free labor, Im not sure why she cant stay a little while longer. Anyways, my parents are going to see her in Williamsburg tomorrow, hear her museum spiel (free entry for family members), and have lunch with her (1/2 price off of the extorted prices that they charge the tourists). Thursday, DW is going to go to Williamsburg with her and see her handy-work free entrance to the museums. I am really bummed that I dont get to go! It feels like missing a dance recital (which I never did). :(</p>