I’m not sure if D26 will care about a yard sign or not, but she is overly involved in her graduation announcements and it is pi$$ing me off!! DH and I mad etc mistake of showing her the one we were about to order and she got all bent out of shape and said no way, I hate that pic, blah blah blah. We have like three different mock-ups now and she is still pushing back. At the end of the day I feel like it should be our decision since we are the ones sending them out. FWIW all three photos are very similar- she is more complaining about layout, font, etc. She has spent WAY too much time on Canva lately 
Regardless, we need to finalize and order them by this weekend so we get them back and can mail them out with the grad party inserts in time so people have appropriate notice for the party.
S26 finally, finally, finally committed to the school he has envisioned since he decided on architecture: U of Miami! Proud of him for making a decision but a tiny bit anxious and reluctant to let the other lovely options go.
He has no choice on the yard sign. It’s going up! S26’s prom falls on D22’s out of state graduation, and he’s been kind about not going, but probably going to milk it for a long time to come! Senioritis has hit hard, but our schools go until the end of June and he has a massive project he hasn’t yet begun. Please give me strength.
I LOVE IT!!! What a gorgeous dress.
She looks gorgeous!
I wouldn’t even know where to start! I didn’t go to college in US. We had set curriculum with set class times, no changing sections for a different teacher. The schedule would be given at the beginning of each year and you show up for your classes. S22 did everything on his own and managed pretty well. I would ask him out of curiosity what classes he is taking each semester. Now S26 is a different story. So I actually tried looking at the university website for required major courses, gen ed, electives, sample plan..I gave up! His older brother would have to help him, I am of no use 
Is that calendar or school days? We have 30 school days from today 
D26 had her practice presentation this afternoon w/her senior project faculty advisor at school today. I drove because of her continued foot issues. She had a nice conversation w/her 10th grade AP Bio teacher about her project…he said he’s going to come to the presentation day on Saturday & wants to see hers because he thinks the topic is interesting. He’s a good guy. He wrote the science letters of recs for both of my kids’ college applications. 
The college counselor asked D26 if she would be willing to leave her final product at school after Saturday. The counselor usually asks to keep a couple to show to the next year’s seniors the following school year. And they like to display some of the senior projects for the last couple of weeks of school for the lower grades. She’s going to make a few minor changes to the presentation. Then on Fri we have to go to school late afternoon to set it up and then be there the following morning for the presentations.
I’m sure some people here would LOVE to help out! 
Our high school did the yard sign thing only once - for the class of 2020 after everything shut down. They also hand delivered the seniors their caps and gowns. It was adorable. I still have my son’s sign in the garage (can’t bear to get rid of it yet).
I really get into finding niche courses that fulfill multiple gen ed requirements (the more the better). It was like a sport for me! Unfortunately, S20 and D23 were not that impressed. I imagine D26 will not be either.
Calendar -29 May.
Just for fun I ordered a giant donut this weekend it says “congrats on graduating we weren’t sure you would make it” it will be for both S26 and D30. Mostly it’s for my amusement. 2-3 times a year I also like to buy a birthday cake for myself. Life is too short to just have one birthday cake a year.
Can’t wait to be yelled at by both kids.
Whenever I pick up D24 at the airport, I print out a sign that says something like “Welcome home D24 from prison (crossed out) college!” It’s a crack up to stand there and hold the sign while watching the looks on people’s faces when they read it. 
that was us with D22, I just didn’t think about it (and husband is useless in these things). A day before graduation D22 comes home from a friend’s house and gushes about her yard sign. So the next day I rushed to the local party store, which had exactly one “congrats 2022 graduate” sign left in her school colors. D22 loved it. (and I dodged a bullet).
I have no clue if S26 wants a yard sign but he will get one. I am prepared this time . He even get’s a customized one not from the party store. I also ordered one for D22. It’s going to be a two yard sign kind of week.
Thank you for the sweet words about her dress!! 
I love birthday cake, but only with buttercream.
D26 has had three schools tied as her first choice since last summer. She strongly considered EDing to two of those. Shockingly, and also not shockingly, she is going to none of those schools despite being admitted to all of them.
After barely making her application list, the darkhorse has won the race! And, from where we sit now, it is totally unsurprising that she chose it.
D26 has committed to Occidental!
We are so excited for her. All of her top choices were incredible options that fit her in different ways. We would have been thrilled about any of them. But, in the end, Occidental feels so right for her.
She is a city kid through and through. She goes to high school in a city and loves it. Occidental is one of the few LACs in a major city (Macalester and Minnesota were way too cold to even consider). And she loves LA. Food. Music. Fashion. Comedy. Art. Beach. Diversity. The Weather. It is such a great place for her.
Occidental’s students also have the right blend of intellectual curiosity, engagement in the community, and desire to just chill sometimes for D26. Said to be a super collaborative and supportive student community as well. Of all the campuses we visited, the student body felt most like her people.
The opportunities the school has with its integration into the community and LA really suit her. Whether it is involvement in the local community or internship opportunities in the summer, it seems like a place she will thrive.
The high quality food on campus and the weather were certainly factors for her as well. And at this point when choosing between such great options, there’s nothing wrong with that.
For me as a parent, there are a few bonuses in this choice. It is super easy for us to get there, with a roughly one hour flight and flights leaving every couple hours. And, it’s about a six hour drive (without traffic, which rarely happens), so we can drive her down for move in. Moreover, our visits can also be empty nester trips to LA and SoCal with so much for us to do in addition to seeing her. It is also roughly $25k per year cheaper for us than her other front runner option. That’s almost $100k we’re saving over four years. While we were not chasing merit, that is a nice bonus as a result of her choice. We will likely dedicate most of that money to her in other ways (possibly a used car at some point and savings toward grad school or other future big purchase needs).
Thank you all for all of the support and tips over the past year. It has been such a rollercoaster of a ride. I’m glad to finally know the destination.
Yay!! Congratulations! It sounds like a wonderful fit for your D26!!
As well— my D22 goes to school in LA (UCLA) and we have loved having her there. We live in the Bay Area and have enjoyed visiting her and hanging out in LA. And it’s been easy for her to get home too.
Yay!! Congratulations to you guys!! Occidental is an excellent school.