<p>Creek - prayers that you sail through with minimum side effects. I’m glad you are just tackling this now instead of waiting. By the time summer rolls around you’ll be so glad you just got through it. </p>
<p>1012 - sounds like an awesome opportunity for your d!</p>
<p>Creekland - all the best to you for a course of treatment with minimal side effects. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.</p>
<p>Hope all the 2012-ers are home or almost home and doing well. Congrats to all those that have received great grades and secured internships! S2 plans on researching that internship “thing” over break. </p>
<p>Happy holidays to everyone!</p>
<p>Creekland- keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for very successful treatments with few side effects 
</p>
<p>D is flying home this morning- her flight is delayed by an hour already. Hope it doesn’t get more delayed than that!</p>
<p>Middle son is now home. His flight was delayed almost an hour due to waiting at ROC for an incoming flight with connecting passengers. Considering it’s the height of Christmas travel and all planes were FULL, I’m glad they waited rather than stranding passengers. It was only a minor inconvenience for us.</p>
<p>It feels great having him home.</p>
<p>Most medical stuff awaits until after he goes back… I guess that means the timing worked out well (before he came and mostly after he goes back). I plan to enjoy the next 3+ weeks.</p>
<p>Hi all! It’s nice to check in and see how everyone’s doing. </p>
<p>creekland - my thoughts are with you as you begin on your treatments. I am amazed by your wonderful attitude! You go, girl! </p>
<p>Geogirl - has your daughter tried emailing the professors who teach she classes are can’t get into? Have her try that rather than waiting until the semester starts. Often times the professor will email back almost immediately with an answer - my son’s have had good luck getting over ride codes this way for full classes.</p>
<p>Son got home today, and his younger sister was beyond excited. He spent most of the day with her and they decorated and went Christmas shopping together. He’s working over break and has some interviews for summer internships. He’s also looking at studying abroad next year, in an engineering program taught by professors from the university, so all his classes will count toward his degree. He’s still been packing in as many classes as he can this year, so he can take some courses outside his major if he goes. </p>
<p>The time is moving so fast. I’m glad to hear from some of you that the second time through the process is much more mellow. I’ve still got some time (DD is still in middle school), but it will sneak up on me, I’m sure!</p>
<p>creekland, I’ll add my good wishes and positive thoughts to everyone’s for successful treatment.</p>
<p>Wishes for happy holidays and good things in 2014!</p>
<p>Hi all, glad everyone’s students seem to have made it through finals and weather delays coming home. Son had his last final Tuesday and came home Wednesday. Got grades shortly thereafter and was a bit disappointed to see his 4.0 drop to a 3.92 due to one CompSci class -he had an A but the final exam counted as 50% of the grade, which brought him down to a B+ for that class. But he realizes he can still graduate summa cum laude even with that slight ding so is okay with it. I think he did pretty great keeping his grades up considering he was working 20 hours a week this semester. One of his teachers sent him a glowing email, telling him he “rocked this class” and offering to write him a wonderful recommendation… and suggesting that he consider majoring in Physics (it was an Astronomy class). So that was cool, and kind of her to take the time to write such a nice note (not to mention she is doing a good job recruiting for her department). I hope everyone has a happy holiday with their college students! Wishing everyone good health in the new year!</p>
<p>We got some doubly good news for Christmas (or slightly after, but close enough!). Middle son did get his 4.0 again this semester (this time including Orgo - a class he tells me he LIKES) AND a repeat MRI they did a week ago had results posted today showing no significant change in the past 2 months. The latter really makes me wonder if we need to be acting quickly on it… but nonetheless, it’s good news - a nice present.</p>
<p>The thought crossed my mind wondering if we should do a DNA test on middle son to be certain he wasn’t switched at birth… Physics/Math x Engineering —> son who LIKES Orgo? Is that genetically possible? ;)</p>
<p>Those are both wonderful pieces of news, creekland!! Merry Christmas!</p>
<p>Creekland–great news all around! My DS loves orgo also–he took two semesters of it. But he comes by it naturally–my father was a chemist and also loved orgo! </p>
<p>I hope everyone who celebrates had a Merry Christmas. We are enjoying family time together. We all saw “Saving Mr. Banks” earlier this week. We enjoyed the movie!</p>
<p>That’s great news Creekland!</p>
<p>My D received a promise ring from her BF for Christmas. I like this kid a lot and they seem great together. She’s just so young!</p>
<p>BarnardMom - my oldest got married after completing his junior year. It definitely made me feel old, but so far, they are quite happy. I wish them well.</p>
<p>Vamom - I guess there do have to be some who like it. My guy has his second Orgo semester this spring. It’s a class he’s really looking forward to as he says they do more of what he really likes. He told me in more depth, of course, and I pretended to sort of understand.</p>
<p>We’re now in the lull between Christmas and New Year’s - done with family visits - and able to sit back and relax before school restarts (for youngest anyway). There’s miniature golf to play and the guys are going to get some laser tag in. Other than that, we don’t have plans and will make it up as we go along - how fun!</p>
<p>She has repeatedly said she won’t get married until she’s at least 26. We’ll see if that sticks.</p>
<p>Creekland- keeping you in my thoughts and prayers…</p>
<p>Gotta get something off my chest-S has been making plans for a few days now to do some laser tag with a group of friends. Of course it is today and we are expected to get 2-4" of snow. Now if you will all remember, S did not get license until after HS graduation and I am the one that taught him. Of course, within a week of getting said license, he started school and had very limited driving experience. He did work all summer and that helped a lot. He is a great driver. We still need to work a lot on freeway experience and snow driving. When he has been home and when the snow falls are usually not cooperating. </p>
<p>So here we are to today…I don’t want to treat him like an uncapable person, but I truly don’t think he understands the huge difference in driving on/in snow. I will take him out this afternoon, but feel very uncomfortable with him driving tonight. I hope the snow is done, the roads are much clearer, and/or the friends are chickens and reschedule. He is 20 yrs old so I am not feeling like I should totally say no and how do you get experience without doing…but I would like to keep the car and my one and only child in one piece.</p>
<p>Phew-glad I got that off my chest. So much for trying to not worry so much this year.
Happy new year to all!!</p>
<p>Find a wide open parking lot so he can practice this afternoon. The key technique is to turn towards the direction the car is sliding. It is counterintuitive but he should practice sliding around in a car driven on snow. Remember NN1, kids have quicker reflexes than us old fogies so he will respond faster than we would. Good luck.</p>
<p>The other key deal to snow driving is to make sure he knows that stepping on the gas is not going to be productive due to that whole friction thing (that makes cars actually move - physics lesson). Slower is better when tires are spinning.</p>
<p>I hope you do get to practice with him… as I imagine it’s instinctive for you if you drive in the snow regularly.</p>
<p>And be sure the laser tag place is open before he leaves. We’re in an area that tends to be snow phobic and many places like that will close with (to me) minor snowfalls.</p>
<p>Great news Creekland - keeping you in our thoughts & prayers.</p>
<p>I’m having snow driving worries too. Son just went to visit a college friend who lives about an hour from here. It was only supposed to rain but the temps dropped lower than predicted and now we have snow coming down and sticking even as it gets dark. Well, too late for me to do much but worry! He’s a good driver but has never driven this route before. I can only hope that when one is less experienced with a route one takes even more caution than usual.</p>
<p>How’d the snow driving go?</p>
<p>We’re on a 2 hour delay here, but the snow is through, so I’m hoping we don’t close. In half an hour (when it turns light out), I’ll go out to shovel. The news tells me we got 4-5 inches. Where I grew up they’d laugh at closing (or delaying) school for such a small amount. Here it’s a bit of a bigger deal.</p>
<p>Regarding medical stuff - it doesn’t start for another 10 days, so I can delay thinking about it for some time yet (while still enjoying having middle son home since I’m still off work). 
Today my guy has plans on catching up on a few TV shows he likes, but hasn’t had time to watch in college. It seems like a good plan for a cold, windy, snowy day! He’s enjoying not having to study and has tweaked his classes (dropped one, added another), then we bought books.</p>
<p>I think tomorrow is a “catch up with friends” day again.</p>
<p>The sun is starting to come up. I probably only have 15 minutes until I head outside. BRR! (But it’s terrific exercise and I usually enjoy myself once out there. I like four seasons…)</p>
<p>Eh - school closed. Bummer!</p>
<p>But I guess this allows the two boys to enjoy the TV shows and the day together. </p>
<p>Any more snow days and youngest’s graduation will be delayed… there’s no fixed schedule for seniors here.</p>