Abiding...

It's c-c-c-cold!

It is SO cold here in the Northeast this morning that my nostrils froze together when I walked outdoors to head to work. Brrrr...

21-year-old wisdom

My oldest son, Ben, turned 21 a couple of weeks ago which technically means he is now an adult. One would assume that with each year of growth would come more wisdom and common sense. Right? Apparently not. Last week, in a conversation with Ben he informed me that he was fairly confident he was going to need to quit his part-time (12 hours per week) job. This is the job that provides him with extra spending money for the things 21-year-olds spend money on. And no, I don't want to think about what those "things" are. Before he got this job I received frequent phone calls kindly asking me if I would please put some money in his bank account. This happened with such frequency that when I walked in the bank all the tellers immediately assumed I was there to transfer money from my account to Ben's account. Over the course of last week's conversation I asked Ben some questions such as;

"You work Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday right?"

"You DON'T have classes on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday right?"

I suggested that some time management skills may possibly be needed. He suggested it was more an issue of circadian rhythms or his biological clock. He studies best from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m.. Working from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. just takes too big a chunk out of that time block. I assured him that I understood. I also assured him with a little work his biological clock could be adjusted. He didn't think that was possible. His solution?

"I was thinking that maybe you could take out a loan to cover my living expenses. A lot of people down here live off of loans."

Oh silly, silly child. I immediately told him the six figure amount that we have already borrowed to help cover college expenses for he and his siblings. His response was,

"Oh. My. Wow."

Ben missed some of last night's Super Bowl. He was working.

Lions and Tigers, Oh my!

If football is any indicator of a college's excellence, then it appears that my sons have made superb choices!

Penn State  59 - Florida International 0 (September 1, 2007)

Clemson University  24 - Florida State - 18 (September 3, 2007)

     Go Lions and Tigers!

 

Oh what a difference an hour can make

Sorry for the long silence. Life has been hectic. Here's the quick overview:

Just in case you've missed something, Ben and Jordan (our two oldest boys) were all set to attend Clemson University. We rented an apartment, made all the arrangements for financial aid, and did all the other things that are involved in moving two kids 13-hours away. Our plan was to leave at noon on Saturday, August 18th. Because we're always running late, at noon we were still loading the trailer with their belongings. Had we left at noon we wouldn't have known what the mailman delivered that day until Jeff and I returned home a week later. In the mail was a large envelope from Penn State University addressed to Ben. On the outside of the envelope was the word, "Congratulations". Ben has wanted to attend Penn State - Main Campus for a while now. He applied to their Physics program at the same time he applied to Clemson's Physics program. Clemson informed him within one week after applying that he had been accepted. Ben called PSU all summer and was continually told that no decision had been made. Once August rolled around we decided that PSU must be out of the picture. WRONG. Jeff and I actually contemplated (for about 15 seconds) not giving Ben the letter. There was no way we could do that. Ben was floating on air after reading the letter. Jeff and I were sinking into the pits of hell trying to figure things out very quickly. (Okay that's a little bit of an exaggeration. We were sufficiently overwhelmed however.) We decided to head to South Carolina and figure things out there. Long story short, Ben was willing to go to Clemson but he made it clear that PSU was where his heart would be. He was very respectful and willing to do whatever we wanted him to do. We wanted him to be happy so we agreed to do everything we could to pull things together for PSU. But, that meant leaving Jordan alone in a 2 bedroom/2bathroom apartment. Enter Jacob, son number three. Jacob is a high school senior who is doing his schooling online. Jacob is now residing in Clemson, South Carolina with his brother. With a lot of prayer and hours of work we were able to pull things together for Ben to attend PSU. We moved him into an apartment this past Saturday. Finding an apartment in State College, Pennsylvania was no small task. I'm still amazed that it all came together. Although, all of this means that I now have three sons who are not living at home. 

So now my house is quiet. Very quiet. Sam (our daughter) is there but she's quiet. Very quiet. She started her senior year of high school yesterday. If you have a kid or two you'd like to part with, send them my way.

We ♥ Clemson University

We're home and did we ever LOVE Clemson University! My two older boys, Ben and Jordan, are applying to transfer there as is Jordan's girlfriend. Jacob and Sam will be seniors next  year. I know Jacob is very intersted in Clemson and I'm fairly confident Sam would love it as well. She didn't go with us to visit. We need to get her down there. A few minutes after walking on campus I was ready to see if they had any jobs I could apply for. Jeff was very enthusiastic as well. Now, when it comes to moving I'm usually much more talk than action. The thought of packing up and leaving Wellsboro behind has always been a terrifying thought for me but the winds of change may be beginning to blow...or at least stir. A little.