<p>Pepper - 61 years!! WOW! I think all of us are caught in the middle - excitement and trepidation for our college bound kids and sadness watching our parent’s decline. </p>
<p>I find myself tearing up over just about anything thiese days…</p>
<p>Pepper: 61 years is amazing. I hope the celebration is wonderful.</p>
<p>It made me do the math. If my dad were still alive, my parents would celebrate their 63rd this year. My mom has begun to talk about my dad so much and to speak in the first person/plural, even though he died in 1976. She had five biopsies on her face yesterday. She doesn’t want to know the results until after she comes here for graduation.</p>
<p>My mother and my mother-in-law will fly here for graduation. We timed their flights so we only have to make one trip to the airport. My father-in-law is going to attend my nephew’s doctoral hooding the week before and that’s enough travel for him for the month of May.</p>
<p>That reminds me of a question: what is an appropriate graduation gift for a PhD? This is a first in my husband’s family (or mine!), so we have no clue.</p>
<p>When my niece heard that my D was going to college up north near where she lives, the niece had only one piece of advice for her Texas cousin: Buy Ugg boots. Well…each of my Ds own three pair…LOL, they wear them with shorts half the time.</p>
<p>Thanks to you all for reminders of move-in dates. I think I am in a semi-state of denial about D actually leaving - but I just made a hotel reservation for move-in day: September 3rd (I think we’re tied for the latest departure at this point). It’s about a 6 1/2 hour drive, and I thought we’d get there the night before, get D moved in, and head out in the late afternoon. I thought about adding an extra night, but I don’t want to overstay; this is going to be really emotional for me and I need to get in a separation mindset. </p>
<p>Even though we’re going from a cold climate to a cold climate, it will be interesting to see if D’s winter wardrobe changes at all. She does not own a winter jacket (she refuses to get one) other than a ski jacket which she just wears for skiing/sledding. And forget about any kind of hat. But - she is used to going from cars directly to the indoors, and she will now be walking around a college campus which is a little spread out. She is rolling her eyes at my suggestions of expanding her outerwear selection, but I suspect she may be adding a layer or two come December.</p>
<p>There must be something wrong with me - no tears and can’t imagine there will be. Must be I’m immune after all the summers sending boychild away for 2 months to camp. </p>
<p>I am also lucky that both my parents are in excellent health. My mom will be 82 next month, dad will be 84 in August and they will celebrate their 60th in September. The inlaws are approx the same age and will be married 63 yrs in Sept. They have more aches and pains than my parents but nothing too bad for their ages. All of them are coming to boychild’s graduation. </p>
<p>OWM, I give Mont Blanc pens for graduations.</p>
<p>Just to expand on momofboston"s comment:</p>
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</p>
<p>A fleece jacket (probably windblock) and a shell will cover a lot of conditions. Sierra Trading Post offers excellent prices on last year’s stuff, as does a smaller company called campsaver.com (although the latter tends to sell more true outdoor gear.)</p>
<p>**Congrats to UT for the Swarthmore decision!</p>
<p>Good luck to proudmomof2 and D on the TX college visits!**</p>
<p>I was more teary months ago-I think we were in such upheaval for so long I have no more left in me-we’ll see.</p>
<p>missypie too funny about the Uggs with shorts! My daughter has been lobbying for them but since she isn’t done growing I don’t want to spend the $$ on them-and those who own them-are they worth it-they are expensive! I finally broke down and got her a Northface this winter-I was pretty pysched a girl’s large did the trick-$99 v. $169! :)</p>
<p>Congrats UT - I am happy for your son!<br>
Cold weather commentary from the upper mid-west: North Face for both children, UGGS for D, Timberland for S (not warm, but very cooooool); hats and gloves only for the very coldest days unless they will be outside a long period of time; underarmour for S; layers for both. We had snowflakes yesterday morning.<br>
Pepper - congrats to your parents! I am sure it is hard to see your mom slipping, but I hope today is very special. My parents would have had their 50th last month if my dad were still alive. We celebrated by remembering him more intentionally than on a regular day.
We have not determined if out of town grandparents are coming for actual graduation or at a later date when everyone has more time. Ceremony is at a huge pro sports arena in town, there are almost 900 kids, and then kids get carted off to lock in overnight. Grandparents are in mid eighties, travel is hard, and (to be brutally honest) they need to be the center of attention. I’ll leave the call up to H and them - they are always welcome, but am hoping they choose a later time to visit. The problem is that the other grandma is in town, very easy to have around, and is woven into our everyday lives. Don’t want anyone to feel left out…</p>
<p>I gave my parents a very lukewarm, “graduation is this date but we know that travel is hard and we won’t be hurt if you don’t come.” Tried that twice…they still want to come. Graduation is at the big city convention center. We are there a lot for cheer competitons and even the close parking spots are far away. I’ve been scoping out close places to drop them off. I’m considering paying for a hotel for them. I know they would be more comfortable there, but it will also hurt their feelings. This is why I hate company. The weekend should be all about D, but with elderly parents there, it won’t be.</p>
<p>Pepper - Will be thinking of you today, it is a tough road isn’t it? As for the Uggs, with 3 girls, we have a collection of 8 pairs I believe - sick, I could probably afford colleges if we didn’t purchase so many Uggs. They are all I live in (hence my 55+ look). I balked at getting for the youngest since she was still growing but she actually wore them so much, her toe broke through. I waited for xmas to buy a replacement pair and she was quite fashionable with her big toe sticking out for a few months. You could buy them up a size for your 9 yr. old to have them last longer. </p>
<p>Kinderny - Is there a market for fresh kimchi by chance? Lack thereof might be a deal breaker.
Just had the HS attendance office call, apparently ds, in his fog of AP testing today (and Monday) forgot to check in at homeroom and if he doesn’t report in…well you know, you just might not graduate yadayadayada. Funny the $87 x 4 check was cashed by that same office, one desk over so someone sure as heck should have known.</p>
<p>Pepper - imo they are definitely worth it. I wouldn’t be able to walk my dog in the winter without them. </p>
<p>I was told by a friend whose daughter is at Bates that all the kids there wear some kind of boot from LL Bean. </p>
<p>I don’t plan on shopping for boychild. He can order what he wants. I don’t expect he’ll need to buy all that much either. He has tons of pairs of jeans, tee’s, shirts and jackets already.</p>
<p>I think my D may be leaving home the earliest but not quite sure how we are going to work move-in. She has 2-a-days starting for cheer on 8/6 but dorms aren’t open then. Dorms open for early move-in on 8/9. So somehow we will have to handle packing up prior to 8/6 but then not moving in until 8/9(early) or 8/10(regular).</p>
<p>Congrats Pepper on 61 years…that is amazing.</p>
<p>Graduation is going to be a little sad for us. D will not have any grandparents around. DH parents passed away a long time ago and D never got to know them. My mom passed away almost 2 years ago and it still seems like yesterday. Rest of the family lives out of state so there will not be much family with us but we are going to make it special for D anyway. Each grad gets 15 tickets for graduation ceremony. We will not be using all of ours so her friends are lining up to take our extras.</p>
<p>My parents will come for HS son’s graduation, they live about an hour and a half away, but my in-laws would have to fly in. They just do college graduations. </p>
<p>Agree about the difference between going from car to building and walking on campus. I got my older son these shoes - [Comfort</a> Mocs: Casual at L.L.Bean](<a href=“http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/58679?feat=592-GN1]Comfort”>http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/58679?feat=592-GN1) for college a couple of years ago and I was surprised that he wore them because he wore Chucks (sneakers) all throughout HS and into college. I think I got them after he complained of wet cold feet. We OWN all kinds of cold weather gear, (except for shoes/boots) it’s just that it’s not worn much. I imagine son will take some of that back to college after Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Son signed up for an optional orientation at his college last night. I’m not real pleased that it’s in July and I’m not sure how we’re going to get him there but I know that a similar program was a huge help for my older son. Both guys are on the shy side and having a first group of friends can’t hurt. Son actually went right to the computer (with my credit card) as soon as I told him that the registration screen was up. I was surprised, but he said that the talk on the College FB page made this orientation (there are 4 or 5 choices) was the most popular. Anyone else have a child doing a mixer sort of orientation?</p>
<p>15 tickets?? We get 6, which will be just enough.</p>
<p>Missypie- thank you for making me feel better about secretly wishing my mother in law won’t travel up from NC for d’s graduation! I love her but she will stay with us in our basement and we will end up catering to her instead of focusing on d. If she were willing to stay in a hotel perhaps I would feel differently. I really feel like such a *itch for saying this. My d is not close with her and really could care less if she attends or not. Sad but true. My parents live locally and have been a huge part of my d’s life. Sadly not the case with my mother in law who has lived away all d’s life and sees her once a year.</p>
<p>pepper: Congratulations to your parents! I understand what it’s like to have a mom whose memory is failing. My mom has some good days, some bad. Lots of confusion. Enjoy the special time with them!</p>
<p>amandak: I make my own kimchi, so I could send the recipe to whoever is the lucky one who lands your daughter. I could send a supply along with my daughter – maybe that will be a good selling point!</p>
<p>missypie: I completely understand the elderly grandparent thing. My dad passed away in Feb. and my mom is 3 hours away in an assisted living facility, so no grandparents from my side of the family coming. DH’s parents have said that they would like to come. They live about 6 hours away and my FIL doesn’t drive that far any more. My H will go to pick them up and return them to their home after the graduation. Yes, it is nice of them to want to come, but really, I think they would enjoy a visit with us on a different weekend more. There are time constraints during graduation weekend – and these 2 don’t move very fast. There are parking and seating issues. Graduation will be held in the football stadium, where the elderly and handicapped are seated at ground level under a tent. So, while there are no stairs, the footing can be a little uneven. Could be an issue. There are graduation parties that S2 would like to attend – but may have to skip some fun with friends to spend time with the guests. There’s just a lot going on that weekend, and while I don’t mean to sound unwelcoming (though I fear I do), I think everyone would enjoy a visit from them on a different weekend.</p>
<p>I believe we get only 2 tickets (senior class of almost 800). :eek:</p>
<p>
Yep, a short drive from my office and comes highly recommended. [The</a> kimchi (and other stuff) at Kim’s | All Over Albany](<a href=“http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2010/02/02/the-kim-chi-and-other-stuff-at-kims]The”>The kimchi (and other stuff) at Kim's | All Over Albany)</p>
<p>Oh and great, one more thing to worry about. D’s graduation is at the ballroom at SUNY Albany, where parking is a nightmare. With a disabled H and my mom who had a hip replaced, this looks to be a nightmare. Would it be cowardly to bring my D up early for the practice aand let the two of them manage it on their own? They’d probably get more assisstance from the parking folks that way.</p>
<p>We, too, are juggling various grandparent visits. I’ll confess to be one of the people who wishes one of them would find out they can’t come. But D is happy they’ll all be there, and that’s what matters. It’ll be quick, though! In and out, and they’re all staying at hotels.</p>
<p>mamom: We’ve had a ton of luck on Boston/MKE flights. Frontier is our latest favorite carrier. Often on a flight in and out of Madison, we have to change planes in MKE; it’s a very convenient hub. It’s a great airport, too, has one of the coolest used bookstores I’ve ever seen.</p>
<p>D registered for Orientation in July, and she’ll go by herself. I’m very excited she’ll get to meet people and get the feeling of being there sooner rather than later, even though the travel arrangements will be annoying and kind of expensive.</p>
<p>My kids have never had actual Uggs, but they’ve had the fake kind. That kind of boot is warm and comfy, and no one here seems to care about the brand name. D1 did ask for “something Northface” for Xmas her first year of college, so she could fit in a little - she usually doesn’t care, but NF seems to have caught her eye. I’m very curious what my quirky D2’s style will evolve into, with the combination of being a college kid, being in NY, being immersed in theatre - could be anything! She loves the cold, but I do think she’ll be glad to get away from -20 windchills.</p>
<p>Congratulations to UT on Swarthmore! What a great school. All the students I know there are really happy.</p>
<p>Uggs: D seems to be moving past Uggs into more stylish boots, but I would not be surprised if she moves back once she is walking more around campus. She does commute on public transportation now, but that is still not the same as being in and out of college buildings all day long - especially with a long slog up and down Science Hill every day!</p>
<p>Uggs maintenance: If you buy Uggs for a northern clime, it is worthwhile to buy the overpriced weatherproofing spray they want to sell you and apply it a couple of times before wearing. Sodden Uggs (with salt lines from Ice Melt) are a sorry thing!</p>