<p>@go2mom, I read several articles about that shooting, it could have been worse. The teacher who got shot but missed serious injury was able to alert the authorities quickly. The shooter was cornered in a bathroom which really helped. I don’t want to say anything politically incorrect, can not help but wonder what I can do as a parent to end this or reduce the fatalities. </p>
<p>@onlyonemom How did the interview go? I’ve been thinking about you!</p>
<p>
Just to let you know that the SS Indecision will be out of drydock for next April’s sailing season and the Margarita machines will be the new and improved versions with more capacity and offering more flavors! Enjoy your voyage. </p>
<p>@KaKaMom, I’m boarding right along with you! 
After DD 2014’s graduation, though, which is still two weeks away.</p>
<p>Thank you all for joining me on my child’s college selection adventure. I’ve learned so much from this forum and have appreciated all of your support, wisdom, encouragement, and advice. D graduates on Monday and will then start preparing for her next four exciting years in NY. I can’t wait to see how everything unfolds. It will be bittersweet helping my only child move 3,000 miles away. I’m so happy she found what looks to be a perfect fit college, but I’m a little sad that letting go will mean many months between visits.</p>
<p>Congrats to all and thank you! I probably won’t check in very often because it’s time for me to move on too. New adventures await now that my 18 years of child-centered activities and volunteering are coming to a close.</p>
<p>All the best and Go Orange Nation :-)</p>
<p>Woo hoo! DS found a summer job with a local grocery - one he can continue when he comes home on breaks. Yay! He also umps, which can be pretty lucrative, but he has been rained out of all but ONE game! I was getting nervous about spending money for college! Less than two months until we have an empty nest. I made a medical appointment for the fall and didn’t have to worry about conflicts with my children’s schedules for the first time in 29 years! Wow!</p>
<p>DD got the job in dining services at school … but I was wrong about the hours: 13 hrs+ gets you 50% off the meal plan. She’ll do 11 hours a week and will get 30% off … which is fine by me! </p>
<p>They called to interview here this morning … and she received her scheduled in one fell swoop! That was easy! She’ll work Mon & Tuesday … 6 hrs one day and 5 the next. </p>
<p>Hi Everyone!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the well wishes and congratulation to everyone ! It is an exciting time as our children start their summer jobs and gear up for college. My S starts his job on the 23rd - orientation - paperwork on the 18th and college orientation on the 19th …oh no…I just realized that S has to be in a Vermont by 4 on the 18th for honors college orientation - 4 1/2 hour drive ! S is suppose to be in work orientation until noon. He will have to get out early! Now to get S to call on Monday to explain and ask for permission to leave early ! </p>
<p>The phone interview went well and I was invited to come in and meet the team! My colleague and friend from graduate school is part of the team. We recently reconnected after not seeing each other for 20 years! I am very interested in this position -great job with no travel!</p>
<p>Another colleague of mine submitted my résumé yesterday for a consulting position and I got an email late yesterday for another phone interview! Additionally, I met with a new executive for my current company - she will need to add staff as we bring on new clients. I basically told her that I wanted to join her team and she asked me to write up a proposal. I am not usually this bold or lucky but I have nothing to loose and a lot to gain! </p>
<p>I have never experienced getting such a quick response to submitting my résumé ! I guess timing is everything. </p>
<p>I am so happy things are starting to click and I hope to be settled by the end of July. Thank you again for the support! </p>
<p>Well, D’s graduation was Thursday & was about as nice a graduation as I’ve ever seen. The student speakers were great, my D sang, & an especially nice touch was that after the kids walk across the stage, they return to their seat via a ‘gauntlet’ of teachers, all of whom give handshakes & hugs & good wishes as the kids go by. It felt like a major life moment, which it was.</p>
<p>Now for the sad news - one of the graduates is missing. He failed to show up for grad practice Thursday morning. They have since reported that his cell phone & all social media were wiped clean prior to his disappearance, indicating that it is likely a voluntary disappearance. This is an honors student active in the drama club who has not been know to have any troubles before. Everyone is mystified, afraid he may have gone off to commit suicide, or baffled as to why he would just vanish.</p>
<p>Oh boy Gertrude - that is beyond scary. I worry about the mental health of the teens going through these major life transitions. You just never know what’s going on in someone’s head. Prayers for his safe return, his parents must be frantic.</p>
<p>@Gertrude- very disturbing. I hope your community learns more, hopefully something positive.</p>
<p>We had our last “official” high school event- S was awarded a Ronald McDonald House scholarship on the steps of our state Capitol with 120 happy students. Refreshments were not catered by McDonalds. Coffee, juice,and muffins instead. 
</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ll keep you all posted. They have called off any search efforts and seem to be handling it as a personal/family situation. I just hope they find him safe & sound soon.</p>
<p>@Gertrude - How scary! I hope you’ll soon be able to post that he’s been found and is okay. Praying for his safe return, and for his family.</p>
<p>@Gertrude , cannot imagine what the family must be going through. Praying to hear good news from you soon. </p>
<p>@Gertrude - wow so scary - I hope they are able to find him and he is safe. My heart and prayers go out to the family. </p>
<p>Gertrude: Keeping the young man and his family in my prayers. Very scary situation.</p>
<p>Congrats to those who landed new jobs!</p>
<p>Son '14 spent most of the week following his graduation doing very little, and that’s fine with me. He was just beat. Slept a lot. Did his daily to dot list that I left him – vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, things like that. Good practice for living in a suite this fall with three other guys. Besides, it’s a big help to me since I’m still working (lots to do at my school). He’s going to spend a few days at his older brother’s place near DC – the two are very close despite a five-year age different. They’ll watch the World Cup, lay by the pool and walk around Georgetown. Then, when he comes home, we’ll do an eye doctor’s visit. We are also planning a trip to see my folks in SC. When we come back, it’s dental visits, physicals and a trip to orientation. Well, at least we won’t be bored.</p>
<p>The trip to Nationals for track did not happen. The boys wanted to go. They had arranged rides and hotels. The head coach, however, did not pay their entry fee. So they did not compete, which was awful because they would have finished in the top 10 in the nation! While Son '14 loved the time off, he was bitter that his coach thought so little of them. Another dad offered to drive the boys down and back. the kids could have paid him for the gas. It really stinks. So glad that he has graduated and moved on. I told him that they will not happen in college!</p>
<p>Happy Father’s Day to our great captain, @AvonHSDad, @2018Dad, @APTitanBioTchr, and all the other wonderful dads out there!!</p>
<p>@momreads - I’m so sorry that your Son '14 and his teammates did not receive more support from their coach. As hard as your son works at his sport and for his team, he deserves a coach who believes in him and has his back. I’m glad your son’s getting a chance to relax and have some fun now. He has so much to look forward too in just a couple months! As hard as it may be to see him leave, I know you must be so happy that he’s going somewhere where they believe in him and are very happy to have him.</p>
<p>@momreads I can’t believe his coach would do that to them! That’s just not right. </p>
<p>S14 didn’t get either of the jobs he had interviews for but he had an interview for an unpaid internship with the township supervisor that he believes went well. A friend of his who is working for the township emailed him and asked him if he was interested in the internship and he ended up with a phone interview on Friday. He does have a couple lawns he mows weekly for cash and people seem reluctant to hire him for what’s left of the summer at this point so I guess that would give him some structure at least. Other than that, we’re just busy with the grad party circuit.</p>
<p>@onlyonemom - good luck on the interviews and the job hunt! Sounds like things are going well and you will land something soon.</p>
<p>@GertrudeMcFuzz - I hope the young man is found safe and sound.</p>
<p>@momreads - your son’s coach sounds like a peach (sarcasm on). I’m glad your son has a positive attitude moving forward.</p>
<p>I hope all the dads had a wonderful Father’s Day yesterday!</p>
<p>DS has been making all the grad party rounds – 7 this weekend, I think. He has today and half a day tomorrow and then is done with school. Tuesday the grandparents arrive. Wednesday he and a bunch of friends are going to Annapolis to spend the night at one friend’s vacation home there, grad rehearsal on Thursday, and class picnic on Friday. The big day is Saturday but first he will swim in a swim meet (isn’t that what everyone does on graduation day?). Then the all night grad party from 10 pm to 5 am. Home for some sleep, and then off to the Outer Banks for beach week.</p>
<p>Looks like no summer job for him, but he will volunteer in the mornings at a local elementary school in a STEM outreach program, do the daily workouts for his sport, and enjoy this last summer with his friends before they scatter in so many different directions in the fall. It’s a good thing he’s been getting cash for some of his graduation gifts!</p>