<p>My Father calls the expressway, the "crash"way, the train the “rattler” and still can’t remember the name of my BIL who goes over his house 6 days a week to drive him places even though it has been 3 months. The best part is when he starts telling me about my BIL’s family like they are complete strangers to me. </p>
<p>S STILL has to submit his last two apps. He has been revising his essays, but I am getting nervous here. I think I will go in and make the payments necessary anyway. </p>
<p>Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and happy (ie- lots of acceptances!) year. I am very grateful for all the help and information I have obtained on this board. My S’s college list is because of this board. </p>
<p>We are bowling tonight. Yes, bowling. A few weeks ago when we realized H & I would be spending the night alone (D is skiing with friends, S had plans), and tried to figure out what to do H saw an email from a local alley advertising New Years Eve rentals for $60 a lane, bring your own food and non alcoholic drinks, they will sell alcohol. So H booked two alleys and it looks like we may need one more. I am sure everyone will be bowled out early, but it will be a nice, relaxing evening, in comfortable clothes! with friends.</p>
<p>^ Hey the bowling sounds like it could be quite fun! Especially since you can bring your own foods–You will have to draw up brackets and progression–could be the start of a new tradition haha</p>
<p>Ditto to everyone’ sentiments etc about the collective wisdom and community here. </p>
<p>We too spent about a week with the grands…those days are precious - and while they can prove challenging, we are thankful for them. </p>
<p>Woo hoo! D just hit submit on her 12th and final college application. It is due on January 15th, but she wanted to finish it before winter break was over.</p>
<p>Now we wait!</p>
<p>Happy New Year to you lovely people and your families! Raising a toast to a wild and wonderful 2011!</p>
<p>yikes…stilll waiting. Paid for one app, other will not let me pay til S submits suppliment or common app. He is upstairs doing something. Wish I could sneak up there, but those darn stairs will give me away. </p>
<p>And speaking of paying, our state flagship is one of the most expensive schools he has to apply to, $70. $20-$30 isn’t going to break me, but jeez louise, only one other school he applied to was more than that and one other the same.</p>
<p>Earlier today I posted that I was reminding S2 that “bad things can happen when you wait until the last minute.” Well, here’s proof that it’s true. He had a scholarship application that had to be postmarked today. I woke him up at 10:00 and told him he needed to get moving and get these things done. I know, nice mom. Anyway, at that point he mentioned that he was playing in a tennis tournament today – whoa…first I’ve heard about this! So I said, you’d really better get moving then, since the scholarship application needs to be done and mailed today. Since he was to be playing tennis, I offered to take it to the post office. Got there at 1:00 PM. CLOSED! They closed at noon because it was New Years Eve. I drove to the next closest post office and found it closed, too. Next I went to the two local Fed Ex locations. Closed. At this point, he is happily playing tennis and I am panicking. I called my husband to have him look online to see if any post offices were open (no smart phone for me). He called around and found one on the other side of town (45 minute drive), so off I went to get the blankety-blank scholarship application in the mail. People were lined up out the door because, even though the postal service thinks it is okay to close early, lots of people seemed to need to go to the post office today. I got it in the mail, but they wouldn’t manually put the post mark on it for me – told me to just stick it in the slot. The woman assured me that it would be postmarked today. Hope so. Just another reminder that “bad things can happen when you wait until the last minute”. S2 missed all the excitement.</p>
<p>Here’s to you terrific 2011/2015 pals! May we all stay safe tonight and in the year to come. </p>
<p>May we all remember that our kids will land where they’re supposed to be next year…even if we and they don’t know exactly where that is right now.</p>
<p>May we stay sane through early tax season, and the trauma (for some of us) of FAFSA/Profile.</p>
<p>May we continue to support and amuse each other through the trials and joys of this winter/spring season of sometimes difficult decisions.</p>
<p>You all are great traveling companions on this wild road, and I look forward to sharing a wonderful 2011 with you.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all whose kids have finally hit the last submit button.</p>
<p>Ohiomom: You win the #1 Mom award today. It is a shame that your son wasn’t the one driving around and waiting in lines, but I’d have done the same thing for a scholarship ap.</p>
<p>I’m very happy to say goodby to 2010. My daughter has spent the last two weeks sick with mono. What a nasty illness. We’re really ready for a new year around here.</p>
<p>missypie and momjr: Yes! The shame of it is that he didn’t really learn the “don’t wait until the last minute lesson” – I did. And, to be honest, I had probably already learned that one. Since I had offered to take it to the post office, I felt the need to follow through. I hated to think of missing out on some potential scholarship $$. </p>
<p>Cheers to all of you this new years eve! May 2011 bring you all you dream of and more!</p>
<p>Momjr - sorry to read your D is sick. Never had mono, but I “thought” it was one of those illnesses where one could be out for many, many weeks. What is the prognosis for your D?</p>
<p>Ohiomom - yikes! I would have used those self service machines where you can pay to have the postage printed out. I went to the PO the week before xmas to mail a package, not a big deal but would have liked for it to get where it was going before xmas. Left my stupid wallet at work (or did I have a stupid attack and leave my wallet at work) so all I had was cash and couldn’t use the self service thing. There was a line at the window which I got in only to have the guy tell me when it was my turn, they were closed. wonderful. As I turned to leave he had pity on me I guess and told me to come back and kindly took my money and package. Couldn’t the women have used one of those ink stamps she must have to put a date on the envelope? Even if it didn’t mean anything, it would have made you feel better.</p>
<p>I only recently discovered this thread but have enjoyed reading all of your posts and can certainly commiserate. My DD is a senior and surprised me by finishing all (7) of her applications very early. She’s been accepted to 5 but still waiting for the last two. Sometimes it feels like she will never hear from them but they are large schools with lots of applicants so I guess no news is good news! Whatever these last 2 schools decide, I will officially be an Empty Nester in the fall… wonder if there is a thread for THAT on CC?</p>
<p>Happy New Year to my cc friends! Ds is off at one party but luckily will have to be back at 11 courtesy of our state “graduated driving license” - blessed laws on my side! Dd (13 yr old) off at a tween party of all girls (I think) and everyone else at home hunkering down for a long night of Clue and Wii. No, I didn’t make headway on the Profile, and that will be my New Year’s Resolution #1 (and get a job and lose weight )</p>
<p>Happy new year to you all! 2010 was a pretty rough year for my family (I had cancer), but it’s coming to a much better close, and we are very happy to welcome in 2011! D1 is thriving at her college and leaves for a volunteer program in Mexico on Sunday. D2 has 5 of 6 apps done (1 waiting on first-semester grades) and one acceptance under her belt. Our work lives are better, and my health is good, so all’s right at our house.</p>
<p>I’m also grateful to CC for the help in doing the considerable research to find D2 a good home for next year. She loves all her potential colleges, and we can see her doing well at all of them, so all that research paid off.</p>
<p>mamom: Well, the two post offices closest to where I live don’t have any self-service machines and, as my luck was going yesterday, the post office that I drove across town to yesterday had an “out of order” sign on theirs. So, I was stuck with the less than enthusiastic clerk behind the counter. When I asked about hand-stamping the date, she wasn’t in the mood to humor me at all. Told me they didn’t do that any more. She could have written it on with a pencil and I’d have been happy at that point! But no, she just wanted me to buy my stamps and get out of her line. </p>
<p>novelisto: Oh, he had some drama when he got home! Probably not as dramatic as if he had gotten to ride around town looking for a way to get the envelope in the mail on time, but I did provide some drama for him…</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all! I enjoyed catching up on your news today. I loved OhioMom’s story and Novelisto’s reply!</p>
<p>My family is back home after a great week in Arizona. Like a previous poster, we enjoyed several games of Apples to Apples, in our case with three generations. While this is not its purpose, the game is a great way to increase one’s vocabulary!</p>
<p>My procrastinating daughter filed her last college application at midnight last night. I’m glad that that’s done, but she has three scholarship applications to do now, so we’re just on to the next thing, rather than celebrating.</p>
<p>That post office run sounds brutal…and you definitely get the #1 mom award…I would have been looking at our kiddo asking about “why” I was going and expecting “payback” since it was time etc…</p>
<p>On the post office thing–all 2010 tax deductible gifts have to be postmarked by 12/31…so for self employed and small business owners etc–it takes til close to the end of the year to handle taxes/income/receipts. We are always finishing the charitble giving the last week of December even when we start discussing it weeks earlier…the holidays just seem to fly and then its the last day or two…thankfully many can be dne online…its the checks that need to be postmarked that can make those post office runs necessary!</p>
<p>Our New Years eve consisted of a roasted tenderloin and a bottle of 1991 red wine for the adults…and kiddos picked out the evening entertainment–to play Scrabble and I am pretty impressed by the completed board. Not too shabby :)</p>
<p>Today is a quiet day, some studying, some updating MP3 players, maybe a movie etc…football etc…
Would have liked to have had fresh snow–yet not in the cards for today.</p>
<p>Hugs all around to those who have all of the apps in—
now the waiting begins…As for us- I have to get the taxes and FAFSA done.</p>
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