Regarding the Honda Odyssey discussion, I had a 2007 that my husband convinced me to trade for a slightly smaller SUV. I drove it for a year and just did not like it. Decided I’d had enough and traded it for a 2018 Odyssey. Best decision I’ve made. Yes we really won’t need that much space once DS18 and DS20 are gone but I love it.
Yes! Started planning the grad party last month. Having it at home with best friend in the neighborhood. It will be the week before graduation as he is leaving after graduation to go on his adventure with his friends.
Heard back from VT that he was not invited to submit for Davenport for engineering. I’m hopeful that doesn’t mean he is not accepted. It’s a top choice for him and he will be pretty upset if that one doesn’t come through.
Awaiting word on National Merit Finalist status (how do they hear about that? Counselor? Email? Letter?). And whether or not he has moved on for the Harvey Scholars Program at Mines. Also waiting to hear on Honors Program at Mines.
Finals start Wednesday. Blargh.
DD’s 18th birthday is on graduation. She doesn’t want a party but I told her she had to have a party because how cool is it to graduate on your birthday. I still have no clue what/how/when we will do it. She wants to do it with friends but it seems odd to have her birthday thrown in with a group grad party. But at least she has consented to do something…
@MACmiracle I won’t get another minivan after this one. I have been eying Subarus.
S has his last gym class today.
He has a few more music classes in second semester, which should make him happy.
@RoonilWazlib99 if making NMF, letters go out to HS principals on February 5th and to Finalist home addresses on February 12th. If not a finalist, letters have likely already went out to home address. On one of the NMF threads, a NMSF from IL reported they had received a letter last week they were not making NMF.
@ChattaChia H has been trying to convince me to go with something smaller. I have four kids and even if they won’t all be at home, it is still very nice when we are all able to take trips together. Then I have my mom and nephew who like to join us in family adventures. I just feel like I would lose those special times, even if they don’t happen too often. Meanwhile, I carpool with three families for a youth group which is far from home but really worth it. If I can’t fit everyone in the car, we’re going to have to all re-think our arrangements. I just want to keep my Odyssey!!! 2002, 225K. No repairs until this year. It’s the best!!! Not quite as good as @SnowflakeDogMom 'though.
@bearcatfan I have a romance with our local Honda service department, probably because they never give me bad news and are so efficient with the regular maintenance stuff and are reasonably priced. My mom went from Honda to Toyota and is switching back because of her disappointment with the local Toyota service place. I was content when H bought a Hyundai because the local Honda and Hyundai deal ships are run by the same people.
We only buy used cars so we are somewhat limited depending on the inventory and they might not have a CR-V @twinsmama . But I love my used car dealer and hope he has something wonderful for us when we go in. He is really amazing.
D16 had her grad party about a month after graduation. It was also her 18th birthday weekend so it all went together. We will probably do D18 later too, but not sure when. Her 18th birthday is at end of July, but won’t want to wait that long. I think we need to be figuring out a date so I can put our name in for tables to rent. We had a hard time finding for D16 because I waited to long.
No party planned here.
We are not from this area, and have had a hard time breaking in - after 20 years!!! Plus there is a lot of “they aren’t talking to them” going on in both of our families, and it’s complicated.
My DD decided she’d rather go to other people’s parties. That’s cool with me. We will probably host my sister and her family at the gourmet steak house in town that weekend.
No party here either. S isn’t a party kind of guy and he doesn’t want one for grad.
DD18 - 18th birthday June 14th; Graduation June 15…Because our availability for a party is very limited due to DD21 travel softball schedule (which I coach) that involves just about every weekend from May 27 through the end of July we are doing a party with her best friend 2 weeks before graduation. Then at the end of July we are taking the girls to Europe for the first and probably last time as family. Just got the passports last week.
Back from Europe and then travel to ??? to drop DD18 off to start college…
Going to be very busy summer and I am sure when it is over I am going wonder how it all went by so fast.
@PlateauMama That’s so funny, I had my graduation on my birthday and hated it. I had always been out of school for my birthday and been able to go somewhere to visit relatives. I begged my parents to let me skip graduation. Glad your D is embracing it.
No formal party here. I expect we will have some kind of “letting go” party when the decision is made with just a few friends of D’s. Silly stress relief stuff, maybe a cookout/campout in the park.
@bearcatfan That’s a really good idea…we’re in the same boat. 18 years here though…and plenty of “no desire to see so-and-so” situations. So maybe we’ll do Charthouse since they print the menus special for the occasion
We have family and some close friends over to the house. I have it catered. It’s easy and relaxing for everyone.
@ollie113 she thinks it is really cool that they are the same day. If she were in public school she would be in school for at least two more weeks. First two years of HS she had finals. Last year she got out the day before her birthday. She is more upset that grandparents will be here for her birthday.
Still waiting to hear on when DD’s graduation date is, so no party planning until they have it set. Seems awfully late for them not to announce it yet, but I guess they have to coordinate all of the county schools into just a few venues.
Big kerfluffel at DD’s school today…official final rankings were released and #3 ranked girl (UT) squeezed into #1 by earning a 95 in AP Psych, a class she added last minute after schedule pick up in the Fall, when she found out #1 boy (MIT) had decided to keep non-weighted Orchestra in his schedule.
This ^^ is exactly why I wish schools would do away with rankings or just report rank in percentiles: 3%, 5%, 10%, something like that.
I hear ya @suzy100! It is such a “game” sometimes and you should not be penalized for deciding to take band/orchestra/arts/sports. I think my DD would have squeezed into the top 10% (for TX Austin to admit) if she had not been forced to take non-weighted cheer for 4 years just to be on the cheer team. Of course higher grades her weighted classes would have helped too, lol. 
Our school started weighting advanced (audition based) music groups. But they also don’t release ranks.
Question: is it appropriate to send an admissions officer a parent thank you? During my DDs interview the AO for a College said some very thoughtful things about how he looks at schools and wanted to know specifics about the environment at her hs this fall. I thought it was very nice and wanted to say thanks but is that pushy?