<p>Lucky you Mom2kids2dogs…this only my first round (of 3)!</p>
<p>I am wanting to just make a collage of my DD throughout the years…I just need the time and the space to do it (without her seeing it)—I’d like to surprise her!</p>
<p>Good morning! I decided for S3’s party I am going to make 3 posters. One of high school dances, one sports and the third will be “other” (drama, youth and government, family, etc…). I am not a very organized person so I spent yesterday going through the house but I found the purchases pictures from all of the dances and quite a few “team photos”.</p>
<p>Graduation yesterday. High school officially in my rear view mirror. Dropped off D to her friend’s for the infamous senior week at the beach. Wishing her safety and care.</p>
<p>My year end photo idea was to give her a 4x6 digital frame that can be programmed as a slide show and placed on her desk at college. She loved it!</p>
<p>Amazhon: Love the digital photo frame idea. Too late for graduation here but D has a birthday in August.</p>
<p>D has been gone a week now and, although I miss her a lot, I must say things are much less stressful around here because she is our Type-A personality. Also I’m getting more time with S15 (not sure how he feels about that lol). D is texting every day and I know just when to expect them because she has a very strict schedule with drum corps rehearsals. Even called once :D</p>
<p>Congratulations to all the new grads and hang in there to those still finishing!</p>
<p>@STEMFamily-Thanks. Now I just have to hope there’s at least one picture of me!</p>
<p>Son’s prom is Friday, June 7. Afterwards parents put on a “post prom” event at the high school with food, drinks, games, music. Historically seniors that didn’t go to the actual prom go to the post prom instead. You have to pay to attend both.</p>
<p>Graduation is June 21.</p>
<p>Funny Amazhon. I thought the exact same thing!</p>
<p>Good Morning, I just logged on to CC for the first time in what seems to be forever. Congratulations to all the seniors on their graduations or upcoming graduations. I enjoyed reading through some great prom and graduation stories and reading all about your parties and festivities. We had a small grad gathering and tomorrow DD turns big 18. Wow! On Tuesday we are headed out to Texas for orientation and class schedule, dorm assignments and DD’s practice schedule will all be taken care of. I have been pretty good about not getting too stressed out over the fact that she will be off to college in only 9 weeks. But I have this feeling that the minute we return home, I will realize that the next visit, she will not be returning home with us……and I will indeed fall apart. But in the meantime I am trying to enjoy the last few weeks at home and focus on the fact that I never have to get up at 5am again to make sure she gets to her 1st class on time!!! For that I am grateful :D</p>
<p>@Crittermom, we are truly in the same boat. I am struggling with overwhelming joy of my Ds accomplishments, coupled with complete fear and occasional loneliness. I haven’t had this many conflicting emotions since my last relationship (and that didn’t end well).</p>
<p>We still have a week and a half for graduation. </p>
<p>Prom last night and I must say (from Mom’s point of view) she was the most gorgeous and classy young lady in the bunch!! She selected a tasteful Ralph Lauren grecian style gown with an antique Art Deco brooch on the shoulder. Something she can actually wear in the future - doesn’t look really prommy, if that is a word. </p>
<p>After reading the horrifying DUI thread I broke down and rushed to reserve a limo, although they were only two couples. The limo driver was actually very nice, he called my house at 8:45 to report everything they had done and that he had just safely delivered to prom. I thought that was really strange, but I enjoyed the update. Then I was absolutely floored when the kids showed up at front door by 11:40pm. They had left early because they were ‘tired’, which isn’t like my D because she loves to dance. Guess is was the guys that were tired because I know that her boyfriend doesn’t like to dance.</p>
<p>She was scheduled to go to an after party down the street (they were going to walk), but evidently the parents at that house realized too many kids were coming and the poor son had to ‘uninvite’ a lot of people. So, D and boyfriend lounged around until 2am at my house.</p>
<p>Awards Banquet coming up. Honestly, I did not even know there was such a thing and we received a letter on Friday inviting our family. D is being honored with the Film Department scholarship. WHAT??? I didn’t even know there was such a thing, D had never told me and I was beyond shocked and proud because my above average kid was actually invited to Awards Banquet. I thought her only documented accomplishment was being voted Best Dressed with a fully layout coming in the yearbook, which she is very proud of I might add :)</p>
<p>We too still have another 10 days until graduation. Prom was Memorial Day weekend and sounds like D and everyone in her group had a good time. Some five days later, however, D and BF of about 6 months broke up. She initiated - and I suppose it’s a good thing since I don’t think starting freshman year with a long distance relationship is ideal (although I did just that 29 years ago). But this boy is extremely nice and treated her so well…and I know she hurt his feelings…sigh…</p>
<p>Oh and I went to pick up D’s prom dress from the Dry Cleaners Sat (thinking I was really on top of things this time actually sending it to the cleaners immediately) only to discover that the dress has dark spots (on red silk chiffon and satin) that were not there when I turned the dress in. Apparently the manager is going to look at the dress this week and see what they can do but I am really annoyed…ergh!</p>
<p>Senior project is wrapping up and now D needs to find a job. She had a few plans that fell through and this morning decided that she would try to be a life guard at our local pool - WHAT??? To my utter shock (my D can swim but is not a swimmer / on swim team, etc. and she doesn’t actually like to be out in the sun), she went in and passed the first portion of the test - swim test, treading water, retrieving something 12 feet down, etc. She would have to do training (which is quite rigorous) and get certified but she seems determined to do this (or at least give it her 100% effort). I am completely baffled as to where this thought came from but I suppose more power to her. She is an athlete, is fit and extremely responsible so if she can get the certification, I guess she is qualified…</p>
<p>First off…momofzag…lifeguarding is great job now and in the future. Always a demand, good pay, she can pick up work at the university pools (indoors). Bonus pay at summer camps. Very little risk for her if she wears a hat and sunscreen. Good for her!</p>
<p>I haven’t checked in a while but loved all the posts and really enjoy the details on prom etc. Prom for D was this past Friday…they were beautiful and the guys cleaned up very nicely too. They rented a “party bus” because there were dozens of them…so she warns me…“don’t freak out it is called ‘the keg bus’”…do you think Pap’a knows what a “keg” is? English is not his first language but he has been here for decades and is not a total cultural outcast …so my husband and another Dad (also hispanic and very concerned about Ds on a ‘keg’ bus) go to interview the driver during the picture taking …they come back impressed with the seriousness of the driver (looked like a bouncer and insisted there would be no ‘craziness’ on his bus, on his watch and certainly no alcohol)…however they were horrified that there was a pole for dancing in the middle of this bus! Moms were not worried…imagine thinking you should try to be “creatively expressive with a pole” in heels and a long dress in a moving vehicle without the benefit of alcohol?! Impossible. Sure enough…the bus delivered them safely, they sang along to music, took pictures in some pretty spots on the way to the dance. They had a great time at the prom, but complained that the after party was a bit boring. I call that success!</p>
<p>The keg bus is hilarious!! Did it have that logo painted on the side?</p>
<p>Party buses are very popular here, probably because there are a lot of them available for rent because we live in a tourist destination. Every now and then some kids with initiative will rent the bus for the night and then send out text invites. All the kids meet in a parking lot somewhere, all dressed up, pitch in $10 or $15 and they drive around in the bus all night dancing and whooping it up. I think the driver/company are pretty strict about the alcohol. For some reason my D gets the invites but isn’t interested, but it sounds like fun.</p>
<p>Good morning! Nice to hear from everyone! </p>
<p>Prom is this Saturday. I have not heard all the plans yet, but as the mother of a son I am usually the last to know. With my daughter I knew every detail. I have to admit sometimes ignorance is bliss. He is on the Prom court which I think means a free tux rental and a free ticket. So at least we will save a little money. He is editor-in-chief of the school newspaper so he asked his date by inserting an extra page into the paper asking her to prom including a crossword, etc… I hear it was cute, but didn’t get to actually see it. She has English the period after Journalism so the teacher was in on it and handed her the paper to read.</p>
<p>Momofzag - I was a lifeguard/pool manager/supervisor every summer from 16 until I graduated. If she can find a job and do well she will probably have a job forever with that company/pool…and can maybe get on as a guard at school. She just has to understand (and I’m sure she probably will) that it’s not just fun in the sun kind of work - if one is a good guard it’s hard work, making sure people are safe. But - great guaranteed job without having to look every summer, if one does well.</p>
<p>I haven’t been on here much lately - prom, awards night, graduation and grad lock-in are behind us…grad open house party ahead of us. We head to Nashville for orientation 6/10-6/11 - excited!! Until I read critteroms’ comment about her D not going back “home” then next trip they have to school. Made me a little sad :(</p>
<p>Momofzag - My dd is in her 5th year as a lifeguard (first two years she was a “junior guard” where she guarded anything shallower than 5 feet). My s15 is in his 3rd year. They are both competitive swimmers so the in water tests are easy for them but they have to go through continuous training on CPR, first Aid and emergency training. My son just became a full guard and his training was 40 hours - unpaid. But it is the only job that will work around their swim team practices.</p>
<p>We are finished with graduation. Leave tonight for orientation - that may be emotionally hard - thinking that when we leave on Wed that the next time I leave her school she will not be coming home with me!!!</p>
<p>this “leaving” thing is getting to me!</p>
<p>My D was part of a group that organized a prom bus. A large group (approx 30) gathered at one house for pre-prom pictures, and then took a limo bus to and from the prom. The kids organized it all themselves, and all of the parents just came and took pictures. I’m a terrible photographer, so I was glad that H was able to come take pictures, and I got to just order the kids into poses, which was especially necessary for the larger group shots.</p>
<p>I finally broke down and bought the expensive plane tickets to take DS13b all the way to the other side of the country for his college move-in. Afterwards I sent this email to DH:
“Here are our flights to ** University. Don’t change the seats because I put DS13b next to us. He is on a separate reservation because he’s not coming back with us.”
DH replies: “Your statement just breaks my heart…”
I was fine until I read that and then the flood gates opened. Oh my, this is going to be hard!</p>