<p>ohiomom: I send hugs during this very difficult time. </p>
<p>college4three: Sorry to hear you are dealing with tough times.</p>
<p>mosb: beautiful words to your beautiful daughter</p>
<p>50new40: Cool news! I hadn’t realized UCLA called students, but it’s wonderful when the colleges “show the love” after our long vicarious suffering. LOL. </p>
<p>S2 got a call today from a student a Case offering to answer any questions. He was startled to realize he was <em>wanted.</em> LOL. </p>
<p>H & I went to our Sunday farmer’s market–75 degrees and sunny. Bought fresh blood oranges, cauliflower, organic Pink Lady apples, lots of avocados and cilantro. </p>
<p>S2’s 18th birthday is this week. Where have the years flown??</p>
<p>Glorious day here in NE. Unlike Idinct we did a lot of snow moving with the thawing-including making a path from the road so we can get heating oil delivered this week.</p>
<p>S had his secong alumni interview today-two down, two to go. He said this was weird since the kids were part of it-pretty much a waste of time he thought. I reminded him these people are volunteers and they do the best they can.</p>
<p>D is making all kinds of munchies to watch the game with. They are all courtesy of the frozen food section! :)</p>
<p>I love the line about “vicarious suffering”. So true.</p>
<p>I don’t know where the years have flown either-but my body reminds me more and more frequently that they indeed have. :(</p>
<p>mosb, what a beautiful story! Now I feel like an even worse parent: my daughter has dance auditions coming up and my motherly advice is simply: “Remember, don’t be Nina – be Lily!” [which only makes sense if one has seen Black Swan!] At least it makes her smile…</p>
<p>Speaking of auditions, her next one is in a week at Goucher! It’s completely separate from her acceptance (or lack thereof – she’s RD, so we don’t know). The audition is for a scholarship and acceptance into the dance major with a performance track. EmmyBet and others considering Goucher: A friend has a daughter who just graduated from Goucher and loved it. And I believe she did a math major dance minor in three years, which seems pretty impressive to me!</p>
<p>snoozn - I think you have the right idea (I have seen the movie)! Anything that makes them smile is a great idea. Only if you have a singer, you have to be careful not to make them laugh … I told my D1 a joke to relax her right before a vocal audition, and she said she found it really hard to get it out of her mind so she could sing instead of giggle.</p>
<p>Great input on Goucher! I hope things go well there for your D. I have been to Baltimore and know it is a wonderful city, and my D knows the east well enough to understand that it has great access to Philly and DC, too. And we’ve looked at enough campuses that we can tell it’s charming and lovely. The theatre dept she’s already sold on. BUT she’s going to have to visit. We saw lots of schools but just never got down into that corridor. So we’ll figure that out - unless some of her other responses trump it in the meantime. </p>
<p>I’m realizing I’m going to be kind of sad about the schools she turns down. They’ve been a part of our life for a long time now … I think that’s one reason why she applied to so many: she has a place in her heart for each one.</p>
<p>EB- I will definitely be sad about at least a few of the schools D ends up turning down. There are a few that I know she could be really, really happy at!!</p>
<p>For a few weeks, my favorite college mantra has been “You only go to ONE school.” Early in the process, this is comforting because if you have an acceptance or two, you can be OK if none of the others comes through.</p>
<p>But there will be a poignancy in that mantra in another couple of months. My D already likes all 3 of her “solid” admits - and they’re fairly comparable financially - so already we’re having trouble picking just one. And her most favorite schools haven’t even answered yet!</p>
<p>I guess maybe we took the advice of “love everywhere you apply” a little too much to heart? Well, of course there are worse problems.</p>
<p>My D also got into Goucher, with some nice merit aid. She was thrilled, but it comes in third to two other places that have also accepted her with money, Clark and Dickinson. Which begs the question: Should I encourage her to let Goucher know ASAP that while she is so grateful for the admission and scholarship, she will not be attending? Maybe someone else will get that spot… or maybe it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>So sorry for all who are dealing with challenging times. We are in that up-and-down middle stage of life, aren’t we?</p>
<p>Hey, cool, researching! Looks like our kids won’t end up together, but it’s fun to think they could!</p>
<p>It is a dilemma about feeling like you are “holding” a spot. In our case, we really need to see those April 1 decisions before she’d give up anything. I guess if in any possible scenario there is no way she’d go there, it would be a polite thing to give it up. We actually got an e-mail survey from one school that asks them to decline now if there is no chance they’re coming. </p>
<p>But I wouldn’t feel guilty if there’s any reason at all to keep the acceptance - even if it’s just something she needs emotionally. It’s your right to wait until their deadline to commit. I think it’s just out of our comfort zone to do this - especially when we’re on CC and read about kids on the waiting list, or who need more aid, etc. Of course we don’t want to be unethical, but we are allowed to be selfish for a few more weeks.</p>
<p>oh my gosh, everyone, i’m writing this with tears in my eyes. MOSB, you should submit that piece to the NYTimes – they have a column in the Style section on Sundays about love in any form, and occasionally I’ll read something there about parental love and support. I would love to see it there. You are one heck of a mom and songbird is one heck of girl/daughter! enjoy your contentment – it’s well deserved.</p>
<p>ohiomom, So sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. Please take care of yourself.</p>
<p>amandak: I was just antiquing on Fri w/ some friends and I heard over the radio in the shop some songs that immediately brought me back to my childhood and reminded me of my dad. They were songs he’d listen to, and although he died five years ago, I felt a heartstring tug that I had to quell. I know how strange it was to sit in that church without her presence. I can’t tell you how often i’ve thought “how is it that I’m still on this earth when he’s not.”</p>
<p>emmybet: congrats on Goucher. I met a wonderful student from Goucher about 6 years ago. She loved it.</p>
<p>50: sounds like very good news is coming your way.</p>
<p>OWM: a live coffee klatch w/ all of you would hit the spot.</p>
<p>college4three: I hope your problems soon resolve.</p>
<p>As for us, my S will finish his college interviews this week. Just 2 more: one on Tues, the other Fri. He really can’t wait to put all this behind him. He registered to go to his EA school’s admitted students 2 day program in April since it’s among his top choices. I have to book the hotel/plane tkts. I’m going as well, although I won’t see him for most of it. I want to tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House and UChicago’s Oriental Institute, and the Art Institute.</p>
<p>ohiomom - please accept our condolences for your loss from a fellow Buckeye family</p>
<p>mosb - What a great story and a great daughter. Best wishes for a successful outcome to the audition.</p>
<p>I finally got the CSS profile finished and filed 15 minutes before the kickoff earlier this evening. What a major pain in the backside. After getting my confirmation receipt, I now have to send what seems like half the household records and tax returns to the IDOC processing center as several schools that DS is applying to do require them. And then, of course, there is one school (Vanderbilt) that wants it their way with a direct mailing of the tax forms, business information, and W-2’s for all of us. While the whole thing is a hassle, I guess its a fairly small investment in time and effort given the degree of the potential grants and scholarship aid that is available from his potential colleges. I now have a week or two to get all of these records copied, properly labeled and mailed off to IDOC in Illinois.</p>
<p>The next scramble is to help DS get a scholarship app completed that he received in late December and that is due in two weeks! He has only been sitting on it for the past 6 weeks. He isn’t sure about it but its a local program and he has a 1 in 4 shot at being one of the students selected. I just love his procrastination. Not. LOL</p>
<p>Congratulations on McGill Aniger! Great school and its wonderful to have that first one in the pocket.</p>
<p>Amanda, thank you for giving me an excuse not to sweep. Hope you are taking care of yourself. It sounds like a beautiful moment seeing your son read at the funeral.</p>
<p>Ohiomom, I am so sorry about your father. Know that our thoughts are with you.</p>
<p>College4three, I hope your issues are resolved and you can rejoin us as we celebrate all the good stuff that is coming up for these kids and commiserate over the less than good stuff that will come along too.</p>
<p>MOSB, Thank you for sharing your daughter’s resilience and triumph.</p>
<p>Stop showing off madbean, 75 and sunny, humph.</p>
<p>50isthenew40, fingers crossed on UCLA!</p>
<p>And last but not least, congrats to Emmybet and researching4emb’s Ds on Goucher! Yay! Lots of good news!</p>
<p>We just returned from a weekend of auditions. It was exhilarating. And we squeezed in some serious good stuff like an art museum, our favorite sushi place and thrift stores. I found my own eyes filling with tears now and then, thinking of her growing up, being proud. All that. </p>
<p>Each time I read here I am awed by our children, not just the stellar moments but their day to day diligence and growth. Yay for the next generation!</p>
<p>You guys have made my day with your warm and understanding feedback about songbird’s audition experience this weekend. It means a lot to be able to share things like this with other parents who immediately “get it.” </p>
<p>As I’ve said before, I’m so grateful to be traveling this road with you.</p>
<p>Ohiomom, so sad that you’re needing to step back for awhile because of your loss of your dad just as I’m re-entering the conversation since disengaging for awhile after our young friend’s suicide. I’m so very sorry for you and your family. I’m thinking of you, and keeping you in my prayers. Come back as soon as you can.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, we’re rooting for your D at her 4 auditions this week. Tell her the CC crowd says to break a leg. (Unless she thinks this whole CC thing is weird…in which case maybe just keep it to yourself.) So funny that you’re heading to Chicago on Tuesday…I’ll be heading up to a business meeting in Madison that morning! Wave when you pass me on the road. :)</p>
<p>College4three, I hope your situation clears up quickly and easily, and that you’ll be back here soon. Take good care, and know that we’re wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>50isthenew, that sounds very encouraging - keep us posted!</p>
<p>Amanda, you’re in a situation where it’s just really tough to keep swimming all the time. I felt your sorrow and grief over that empty place in the choir loft. I hope the pain recedes a little bit each week, as you move closer to a time when the acute pain is replaced or at least augmented with comforting memories.</p>
<p>Madbean, could you send us some of those organic Pink Ladies? That’s songbird’s favorite apple!</p>
<p>RenMom, thanks for your (as always) kind words. I will think about submitting the story to the New York Times just as soon as I finish the two forms that shall not be named. :)</p>
<p>MOSB - wow! What a milestone moment - congrat to your D, she sounds like a wonderful young woman.</p>
<p>Ohiomom - my thoughts and prayers are with you.</p>
<p>Kinderny - Ugh! I feel your pain. D has decided she isn’t going to apply to any more honors programs. In fact, one school called and asked her why she didn’t apply to the honors program and she told them that she was burned out and that she just couldn’t make the deadline - they admitted her anyways with merit. I can totally understand - this process has been just such a long haul. </p>
<p>Emmybet - we are in the same boat. D has been accepted to a few solid programs but now she is experiencing some indecision. This is a surprise because she has always been very decisive - her dream school is now part of her top 3 - maybe she has too many choices.</p>
<p>So much to catch up on after a few days away.</p>
<p>MOSB - Thanks for the inspirational story. Our kids really can amaze us with their strength and resilience.
AmandaK - I am so sorry for the difficult time you are going through. Thoughts and prayers are with you and your familiy
Emmybet - Glad to see the good news keep rolling in. Best of luck on the upcoming auditions; very exciting times.
Ohiomom - so sorry about your dad. Thoughts and prayers with you as well.</p>
<p>Hopefully we can all take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that our kids are now second semester seniors! I am sorry that so many are dealing with such heartache and balancing the stress of loss and dealing with the ups and downs of the college journey while trying to keep everything together. I hope the support of our virtual community is providing some comfort.</p>
<p>Here’s the shout-out I promised. We might feel much the same at graduation, but I think this is an essential message right now:</p>
<p>HURRAY FOR ALL OF THE 2011 SENIORS WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD, LEARNED SO MUCH, AND GROWN IN WAYS WE COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED. </p>
<p>BEST WISHES TO ALL OF THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN FOR A FUN, EXCITING, AND TRIUMPHANT LAST SEMESTER OF HIGH SCHOOL. MAY THEY CELEBRATE THEIR MEMORIES, DREAM OF THEIR FUTURES, AND PLAN THEIR NEXT STEP WITH CONFIDENCE AND JOY.</p>
<p>AND MAY THEY LEARN TO SEE THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED, AND THAT WILL HAPPEN, IS PART OF A LONG, RICH JOURNEY OF EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING, AND THAT THIS PROCESS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. MAY EVERY NEW SET OF CHOICES REMIND THEM THAT EVERYTHING IS FOR THE BEST, AND THAT ONLY THEY THEMSELVES CAN DIRECT THEIR FUTURE.</p>
<p>MAY THEY TAKE CREDIT FOR THEIR SUCCESSES, BLAME NO ONE FOR THEIR MISTAKES, AND RELISH EVERY MOMENT OF THE PROCESS. OUR FIRST BIG “GOODBYE” TO THEM MARKS THE BEGINNING OF ADVENTURES IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE.</p>
<p>AND AS WE SEE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ENDING THIS PHASE OF THEIR LIVES, MAY WE PARENTS BOTH CHERISH ALL OF THE YEARS GONE BY AND EAGERLY EMBRACE ALL THAT THE YEARS TO COME WILL BRING. </p>
<p>My thoughts are with ohiomom and college4three.</p>
<p>MOSB - what a beautiful story, all the best to your daughter and to all the kids that pull off those auditions! As if applications and essays are not enough…:)</p>
<p>S had 3 alumni interviews last week and he was very pleased after all of them. After reading some horror stories on another thread, all of the alums were so pleasant and encouraging. He learned more about the schools and it makes us all more excited. End of March cannot come soon enough.</p>
<p>Ohiomom - Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May your memories bring you some comfort during this difficult time. Lean on others for support.</p>
<p>MOSB & SB - you are an amazing team. I look forward to reading your posts every day.</p>
<p>College4three - hurry back. Hope things get better soon.</p>
<p>To those going thru auditions - WOW!!! I can’t imagine adding that to this process.</p>
<p>So happy football season is over. I get my husband’s attention back…until August.</p>
<p>Emmybet - Thanks for the shout-out. Doesn’t it feel like these kids just started high school yesterday?</p>
<p>Flmathmom: About 10 years ago I decided that if you can’t beat 'em join 'em and “discovered” football. It’s become a great shared interest with my husband. I’m hoping that it will distract us from our empty nest next fall. Congrats to any Packers fans out there.</p>
<p>college4three - hope your distractions are resolved soon and you can be back with us.</p>
<p>mosb - I’ll join in with the crowd - amazing story. Sometimes, it’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that these are wonderful kids and they have so many wonderful things in front of them…</p>
<p>Emmybet - thanks for the shout out! Here’s to our last semester seniors!!</p>