<p>Congrats! Seems like these last few years just flew by…Crazy boy is coming home tomorrow for a week to get his med school app ready, too hard to complete at school. We will be going back up the end of next week for graduation, reunions and p-rades. He says it will be fun. Since he lives at his eating club we will have some great parking and walking a short distance to all the festivities. Hotel is literally minutes away and we have stayed there before, thanks to hotwire!!</p>
<p>Again, my very, very best wishes for you and wild child!!! </p>
<p>Happy Graduations to both of you!!! I can’t wait until next year, when I get to attend DS’s Rice graduation. I just love the whole event - pomp, circumstance, marking a transition from one part of life to the next, food, fun, happy smiling people, heartfelt goodbyes and thank-yous… Gives me chill-bumps just to think of it. Have a BLAST and enjoy every long minute!!! ;)</p>
<p>JHS, any chance you are a yelper? Would love to read your reviews. Philly daughter, keeps wanting to go to Kanella’s, after it was profiled on Food Network, as best brunch.
She is, also, all about Sabrina’s Fairmount these days, too.
We had fine meal at Vietnam, not to be confused with Vietnam Palace across the street! </p>
<p>Back to MOWC— congratulations, on son’s upcoming graduation, especially that he has a job!
By the way, the new Tastykake Factory opened recently, complete with parade celebrating the event :)</p>
<p>Congrats MOWC! Trying to make reservations for next year and both the Sheraton and Hilton sites say they are already booked - will try calling next!</p>
<p>I’ll try to be of service. A-hem…(since I have never set foot in Philadelphia, y’all should know I’m joshing).</p>
<p>Best place to try to sit in the stadium? Next to where the beer vendors come into the stadium with their frostiest cans/nearest the exit closest to the bathroom. It’s gonna be a looooong day. </p>
<p>Hints on how to keep my butt and legs from going numb on the bench seats? Hire Oscar the poolboy to sit next to you and rub your “hurty parts” down with soothing ointments and lotions. (It’s doubtful anyone will object. I’ve seen Philadelphia Eagles fans on TV. ;)) </p>
<p>Can you get into restaurants after graduation on Monday?
Pretend to be making a delivery and then just pull up chairs at some random table of pleasant looking strangers. Y’all will be so festive, nobody is likely to object. If they do, offer to pick up the check for your new-found friends. That’ll work for sure. </p>
<p>Big congrats to the wildchild. And a great big “Hallelujah. Praise the Lord!” to y’all.</p>
<p>Thanks, Curm.
It was all wonderful. We wound up bringing his car in on Sunday afternoon before the Sunday night Colleges of Arts and Sciences ceremony. That’s when they actually “walk” and the names are called. I started to lose it at the first notes of Pomp and Circumstance" as they all progressed into Franklin Field. It was a beautiful evening. The kid was really excited but sad about his great group of friends going in different directions. They all have jobs or solid plans (1 goes into the Israeli army), miraculously.<br>
We wound up staying at son’s apartment in The Radian for the night so we didn’t have to make the drive back out to the suburbs and back in during Monday rush hour. That worked great, because we got to go out with son and his friends to Smokey Joe’s, the traditional Penn bar, which has been an institution since my parents were at Penn (location has changed). This morning was the big all-university ceremony and we got there in plenty of time on foot from the apartment- complete with awesome food from one of the famous carts.<br>
Turns out I was sitting right near Roshke, which we discovered through text messages, so we got to meet! CC meet-up at Penn graduation. One of WildChild’s close friends was a boy I met here on CC while they were in high school and he asked a recruiting question. I put him in touch with my son and they have been friends ever since.
The speaker was fantastic- Jon Huntsman Jr. (Ambassador to China, former Gov of Utah) of the Huntsman Hall (Penn) family. He was really good, even if he wasn’t Oprah or Lady GaGa.<br>
Afterwards there were pictures with all the boys and parents.
Lunch at Distrito was excellent. Before lunch there was an English department reception with the most gigantic chocolate covered strawberries I have ever seen AND champagne. That’s what you get for $200K!
One thing that really struck me- after the ups and downs of these 4 years at Penn and the years prior to it… My son did get a great education and he DID take advantage of what Penn had to offer. With him, I think a larger percentage took place outside the classroom than for many students, though. That’s fine- he says the people he met and this group of very exceptional young men that are his friends are the best part of his Penn experience. He’s proud of what he has accomplished and of being part of this kind of academic community. He spent a lot of time in the library, but he also spent a lot of time with his investment group, going to NYC and traveling to the incredible vacation homes of his classmates and meeting their very successful and motivated parents. It’s all good. He’s learned lessons, and I DO think he appreciates what we did for him by sending him to Penn. There were times that I wasn’t sure.
He gets to stay here for a couple more months working in Phila before he moves to Denver for his “real” job.
I realize that I’m not the only parent who is proud of their college grad, but I just keep thinking of how far our family has come in the last 8 years or so. There were people who took some big chances on our son and allowed him to be on a course that led him to this degree. You better believe I emailed each and every one of them today and let them know that not a week goes by that I don’t silently thank them for what they have done for our son and our family.
New chapter. I’m ready.</p>
<p>MOWC,
So glad it went well. Now, when your D completes her grad degree at VU, don’t expect chocolate on the strawberries. Perhaps less humidity and heat in PA than the tent where champagne and strawberries are served in Nashville. Of course, now that you are a Nashvillian, you know! Congrats to all.</p>
<p>Yep, another proud Penn grad mom here. Just as MOWC described it - a picture perfect weekend, weather wise and every other way. And yes, can you believe that in that whole huge stadium MOWC and I were sitting fewer than ten people away from one another. I met DOWC, too! A small CC world, indeed. Congrats again to your whole family. </p>
<p>I agree about Huntsman - though the kids were originally less than excited by his mostly non- celeb status (he made fun of himself for that, which was endearing) , I thought he gave a terrific speech, moving and inspirational. And speaking of small worlds, walking back to the car afterwards on the way to our celebration luncheon, the family was still talking about the Huntsman speech when we ran right into him on the street. So I was fortunate to have the chance to give him the compliment directly. Incredibly gracious guy, too.</p>
<p>Congrats to the Penn grads. I first saw this thread asking for advice and thinking, ooh, ooh, I had a Penn grad, maybe I can help. Then I realized just how longgggg ago I was there, and decided if I posted anything at all, it should be on the “what makes you feel old” thread.</p>
<p>Anyway, I know it’s been a Wild Ride for MOWC, and that makes this time all the sweeter. Many, many congratulations.</p>
<p>I am so jealous that you got to speak to Huntsman directly. I was SO impressed. It doesn’t hurt at all that he’s nice looking!
We are back home and exhausted. I can’t believe I’m done! (well, we have to get him moved to Denver later in the summer…)</p>
