August 23rd - 26th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good morning! We are finally home, and I finally have reliable internet! That means you are going to get an enormous post. I’ll label each of the days at the top so you can figure it out easily. (You may want to scroll down to the bottom so you can read in order, it may be a little confusing otherwise.)

Hard to see but these are
Grecian steps with a waterfall
flowing over those pillars
in the back

I got a phone call from Lys yesterday morning. She got her schedule. She only has four classes this semester, but those four classes are worth sixteen credits. At Champlain, she was signed up to take five classes this semester, but those five classes would have only been fifteen credits. How lucky is this child? She signs up for classes the day before they start, and her earliest class starts at nine-fifteen, and her latest class ends at three-fifteen, and she has a nice break between classes to be able to get food if she wants it.

Fountain in front of Slane
Hall at HPU

I thought for sure all that would be left at this point were the early morning and late night classes. Also, because the way Champlain was set up, Lys has already completed courses HPU students don’t even get until their junior year, but because she has already taken those classes, she is allowed to take other junior and senior classes, which means Lara and Lys are going to be in some of the same classes together.

As predicted, Lara and Lys are really hitting it off. Sunday night, Lara was going to meet friends she hadn’t seen since she left school in May, and she asked Lys to come with her. They had plans together for last night as well, and they are scheduled to go to the steakhouse for dinner on Wednesday. 

Dining hall around the corner
from Lys' apartment

On the other hand, it looks like Makayla won’t be staying. Apparently, other than putting her bed together, she isn’t unpacking. I do hope she has the common courtesy to pick up her stuff though, because when she left on Saturday, her stuff was strewn everywhere. Even when I left on Sunday, her things were all over the common area – piles of framed pictures on the dining room table, boxes and a painting against the wall, and an ugly hairy white rug was left in the living room as well. 

Gazebo near the volleyball court,
horseshoe pits, and cornhole courts,
across the street from Lys'

When Lys came back to her room to change on Sunday, Makayla’s stuff was all over Lys’ bed too, but there was no Makayla in sight. I realize the room is small, and she probably needed the space to be able to organize her stuff. Heck, we had things on her bed while we were unpacking. But to leave the apartment, and leave your junk on your roommate’s bed is just rude. Honestly, Makayla has been doing nothing but complaining since the second she walked in the door, so for everyone’s sake, and sanity, I hope they find her a single room somewhere or this is going to be a VERY long year.

We got a late start leaving yesterday, my hope was to be on the road by nine – so much for best laid plans. Paulie and Dani did not want the breakfast provided at the hotel, and elected to sleep late. We didn’t check out until almost eleven, and from there we went to Waffle House for breakfast. I was a little leery about stopping there because my friend Sharon can’t stand Waffle House, but another friend, Wendy, swears by it. My opinion, the coffee was great, the eggs were a tiny bit overdone, and the hash browns could have been a little crispier, but all in all, it was pretty good.

Just another shot of campus

So we finish up breakfast, and you would think that meant we were on our way home, right? Wrong. We needed to make one more stop. The K-Mart down there was going out of business, so they wanted to swing in. Dani wanted a few new movies to watch in the car on the ride home – the ones we had she has seen a zillion times. Paulie needed headphones because the ones that came with the car were shot (he didn’t think he had any reason to bring his earbuds with him on the trip); and I needed to replace the sunglasses I left at the restaurant on Saturday night. 

We did well. Dani’s movies were 40% off, and the rest of the stuff was 50% off. It was strange, and a little sad, going into a store that was closing. All the remaining items were consolidated into what was probably a quarter of the original space. There were even sold signs on some of the fixtures. 

Pilot Mountain

I elected to take a different route home. Because we left so late, I figured we would be hitting the DC area right around rush hour, so I was not going to deal with 95 and its traffic. The route we took was about fifty miles longer, but it was gorgeous. We went through the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were moving constantly, and made it home, stops and all, in eleven and a half hours, half an hour less than on the way down, even with the extra mileage, and probably the same amount of stops.

Okay, since you are getting four days’ worth of posts all in one day, I should probably wrap up. I hope you have a marvelous day, and happy writing!

 

MONDAY

Hi it’s Christina –

Robert's Lawn where convocation
took place.

Good morning! ARGH!! I was able to get on the internet this morning for a few minutes, but then I ran to the lobby real quick to get some coffee, and when I came back, poof – no internet. It’s beyond frustrating!

Bagpipe procession

Convocation yesterday was lovely. The students were seated while the HPU orchestra played, and the staff procession was lead in by a bagpipe band. There were several speakers, one of which was the HPU president. He seems like a wonderful man, and the growth he has brought to HPU since he has been in office is truly amazing. This year’s incoming freshman class is 1,470 students. In 2005, the entire student body of HPU was only 1,450. He has more than tripled the actual acreage of the university, brought in an incredible staff, and has made the campus absolutely breathtaking. 

Dr. Nido Qubein

My favorite part was when the dean of music sang You Lift Me Up and Challenger flew over the students. The ended the ceremony with their choir singing the alma mater, but for some reason the sound wasn’t clear, so I have no clue what the words were.

Challenger

Lys’ day yesterday was packed with campus events, so while she was doing them, we did our last little bit of running around. The set of mixing bowls she bought was chipped, so she returned them on Saturday, but we were not able to find another set. Yesterday we checked three more Wal*Marts and all three were out, so no luck with the bowls. She was a little disappointed, but I eased her frustration with the ice cream I bought instead.

These signs were everywhere

Dani had made Lys a mosaic poster as a gift, so we went and hunted down a frame to put it in – we actually found one at Staples on clearance, so we got it dirt cheap. Then, Dani wanted to get her sister a bouquet of flowers, so we did that as well.

While we were arranging the flowers and hanging the picture, Lys’ last roommate arrived. I know yesterday I told you her name was Miranda, but it turns out Miranda was the person who was supposed to take the other double with Lys, not Makayla. The girl in the single’s name is Lara, and she is a SWEETIE! And, ready for this? She has the same major as Lys. What are the chances of that? Three girls, all from New Jersey, two with the same major (I don’t know what Makayla’s major is, she never said), all randomly put together. Now, if this had all been put in the works months ago, then yeah, the chances would have been pretty good, but Lys just got the room on Friday, and Makayla got it on Saturday – Lara has had the room since April.

One of the statues at HPU.
The campus at night was
beautiful.

Lara did warn Lys that since she hasn’t chosen classes yet, she’s going to get stuck with all the early morning and late night classes. Lys will be selecting classes today. She’s supposed to give us a call later to tell us what she got, but I’m not holding my breath for the call. Her day is going to be crazy, and when she gets back to her room tonight, she’ll more than likely just crash. 

Classes officially start tomorrow, and she has no books, does not know which buildings hold which classes, and she still has to figure out how the shuttle works and how much time she needs to allot to get from her room to her class. The next few days are going to be a disaster, but I have every confidence she will get it figured out.

Oh well, it’s 8:30, so if we want to get breakfast for free here at the hotel, I have to rally the troops. I hope you have a fantastic day, and happy writing!

 

SUNDAY

Hi it’s Christina –

Good morning! Well it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to get on the internet here at the hotel, so Tuesday morning y’all are going to be getting a crazy long post. I won’t give you four challenges though, that would be crazy, so you can chew on the one from yesterday for a while.

Lys got an early Christmas present. We ran to Bed Bath & Beyond to exchange her bedding, and to pick up a few things we had forgotten, like a Britta pitcher and filters. Then we went over to Wal*Mart to exchange the set of sheets we got from there and to return the mixing bowls. (When we unpacked the bowls, we noticed one was chipped.) While we were there, Paulie found a really good deal on a TV, so we got it for Lys’ living room. 

Lys' Kitchen

It looks like Lys has a roommate, well, for the next week or so that is. Her name is Makayla and she’s from New Jersey too. There was a mix-up with her room as well, so yesterday she had two rooms to choose from, and she chose to room with Lys. It’s going to be interesting though, because supposedly this room is much smaller than the ones she has had for the past two years at High Point, and she brought a whole lot of stuff. A small closet and four drawers, just ain’t gunna cut it for Makayla.

The room's all set

Supposedly Miranda, the person who is supposed to be in the single room, is moved in at another location, so Makayla and her mom are working diligently at getting Makayla moved into the single room. If that happens, then Lys may have her room to herself. We’ll just have to wait and see. Although Lys would like the bigger bed, there is no way I am returning the bedding again. If it does happen, then I think if facilities just removes the second set of stuff in the room, then the twin bed would be fine. As I said, we’ll see.

The Living Room

Initially I was concerned because there was only one dresser in the room, but between the closet and the drawers under the bed, Lys got all her stuff into two dresser drawers, the under bed drawers and the closet, and she still has room to spare. It took all day, and Dani busted her butt helping her sister, but she is in and settled. Her wall hanging is up, and all her pictures are hung. We still need to figure out what to do with poster Dani made her. Her kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and linen closet are all squared away as well. 

Lys' dining room

Convocation is at 9:00 this morning, and we are praying the weather holds out. It is scheduled to be outside, and if it is, we’re all good; but if it isn’t, and they need to move it indoors, then we’re going to have a problem. If it’s inside, then only the student and one guest can attend. We have one student and four guests. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Okay, I need to get ready, so I’m going to boogie. I hope you have a fantastic day, and happy writing.

 

SATURDAY

Hi it’s Christina –

Good morning! First I want to thank you. You folks are GREAT prayers. I’ll tell you why in a minute. 

We made it to North Carolina. It took twelve hours, but we’re here. My mom booked us at the Days Inn about five miles from campus, and I am pleasantly surprised. It’s a little dated, but really, it’s not too bad. They did only give us two towels though for four people (two of which are teenage girls) – not going to fly.

My husband drove down with my mom, and I had the girls with me. We got separated about a half an hour out of High Point because of traffic and I had to make a stop for gas, but other than that we managed a five hundred mile trek following each other.

I called the apartment complex a little after ten yesterday morning and after I answered a couple of questions, they told me they would be processing our paperwork and they should be able to get back to us in a few hours, but they warned it could take up to twenty-four. A little before noon we get a call from Joe at the college saying he has been working for two days trying to find Lys a spot on campus, and he may have something. He’d let us know by four. At three, he calls back. He found something, and we could go over and take a look to see if we wanted the place. 

Wanted the place? Seriously? Housing on campus, included in the tuition, with twenty-four hour shuttles to the main campus, in a secured gated community. Ah… yeah we were taking the place.

Liz - what a sweetie!

Paulie and my mom went to the hotel, and the girls and I went directly to the college. We check in and Liz, a rep from the college, shows us the place. It’s nowhere near as posh as Lys’ apartment would have been, it’s not even as nice as the rooms they show on the college’s website, but it’s fine. It’s a two bedroom unit Lys will be sharing with two other girls. One girl has her own room, and Lys may or may not get a roommate, depending on if the other girl accepts her accommodations.

This does mean that the bedding we brought down will need to be returned, and we’ll need to go and purchase new bedding today. It also means Lys could have brought down her mattress topper and electric mattress cover. We’ll see if there’s something inexpensive down here, and if she wants it, she can bring it back with her after break, or I can see how expensive it is to send it UPS.

Lys' new home - isn't it cute?

The room is a little on the small side, but she does have her own closet, which will help. Plus, she has a full kitchen, oven and all, so that made her happy. The toaster has to go back, they’re not allowed, but she is going to need everything else we brought. She has a little front porch with a rocking chair, and she has a little back patio as well. The place was originally designed to be senior housing, but the school bought it up for dorm space.

Mail pick up is right across from
her front door.

Hopefully this crew will wake up soon so we can get started, because we have a ton to do, and it is going to be a scorcher today. I ran over to the lobby for some coffee at 5:30, and by the time I got back, I was melting. If it is that bad already and the sun isn’t even up, I am dreading what the rest of the day is going to be like while we are hauling junk into my daughter’s dorm.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the best part. Around four we get a call from the apartment complex. Lys was “conditionally approved”, which meant she needed to get a grantor to cosign the lease. The grantor needs to provide all sorts of financial paperwork, paperwork that was back in New Jersey, twelve hours away. So, if Joe hadn’t miraculously come up with this dorm room, Lys wouldn’t have had any place to stay. See, I told you, you were great prayers.

Our home for the next 3 days

The internet here at the hotel is hit and miss even though they have four different wifi hookups. I can’t get on the internet right now, but when my hubby wakes up, I’ll ask him to wave his magic wand and fix it. I’ll post when and if I can.

I hope you have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Next Challenge is:

Use the following in a story: A Paper Towel Roll, Mud, Chewing Gum

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

August 21st Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good morning.

Yesterday was not a good day. I called up the school basically to see if we needed twin sized bedding or full sized bedding in the dorm, only to find out Lys didn’t even have a bed. We never received the email saying she needed to find alternate housing. So here it was, 48 hours before we were supposed to arrive on campus, and my daughter had nowhere to live.

After a bunch of tears, and a whole lot of scrambling, I was able to find her the last available apartment. The only problem was it is a handicap equipped apartment, and I feel bad taking it if someone else needs the handicap facilities.

The apartment is fully furnished, and all the utilities are paid by the university, which is good. However, it is a two bedroom unit which comes with a $853 a month price tag and a $10 a month renter’s insurance bill. According to the housing message board on the school’s website, there is no one still looking for a roommate, so that means the entire $863 a month bill is on us.

It also means, not only did Lys need new bedding, she needed kitchen supplies, bathroom supplies and cleaning supplies. One saving grace was my daughter does not have expensive tastes. The plates and glasses she wanted came to less than $1 apiece (less than $20 for everything), and her flatware was only $10. She got all her bathroom supplies for less than $50 (extra set of towels, a rug, a shower curtain, a wastebasket). We picked up a toaster and a coffee pot for $25. Since this is her own apartment, she also needed her own vacuum and cleaning supplies, so that was an extra $50. The kitchen needed stuff I didn’t have extras of at home, so that took up a big chunk of our budget. Thankfully I had extra pots and pans, and a blender to send with her, so there was no extra cost there. Even with frugal shopping, the bill was still $350.

If she had gotten into the dorm, the bill would have been $75 if she had a full bed and $0 if she had a twin. So basically, the money Lys will be getting from tips for being a camp counselor paid for the additional supplies she needed for school.

Now all we have to do is wait and see if she has been approved for the apartment. I have NO idea what we are going to do if she doesn’t get approved (not that I can fathom a reason why she wouldn’t be).

Luckily RV called yesterday and said I did not need to help her today because her husband was on vacation. I still have the car to clean out. I have to pack our own bags for the three day trip. I have to run to the doctors because Chaplain did not forward Lys’ immunization records. I have to run to the bank and pick up checks for Lys because now she needs to be writing rent checks every month from her account. I have to run back to BB&B to return the stuff we bought yesterday but then found cheaper at WallyWorld. I need to run to the library so I can fax all the notorized paperwork the need for the apartment. Then I need to rummage through the basement to see if there is anything else Lys might need now that she has her own apartment.

It is going to be a VERY long day. Oh, while I’m thinking about it, you may not be hearing from me for the next few days. The hotel choices in the area are sketchy at best, so I seriously doubt I will have an internet connection. Honestly, my main concern is not getting bedbugs or our car stolen while we’re there.

This is another reason for all the anxiety yesterday. I was okay with my daughter going to High Point University because the campus was so secure. You see, the area around the campus is not so great, a little scary even; and now Lys will be living off campus and relying on campus transportation to get to and from campus. The shuttle stops running at 6:45 pm – hmmm, I hope it’s not because they don’t want to be in the area after dark.

I really wished she would have just chosen Austen Peay, in Clarksville, TN, right from the get-go. Great campus, plenty of housing, excellent curriculum, and she could have gotten all four years for just slightly more than her one year at Champlain. Then we would not have to be dealing with all this drama.

Okay, I have TONS to do, none of which includes working on FTQ like I should be. I may or may not chat with you tomorrow. We’ll see. I hope you have a fantastic day, and happy writing!

Your Next Challenge is:

How are we going to fit it all?

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

July 14th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! First I want to say Happy Birthday to my Aunt Linda. Hope you have a great day!

It may take three cups of coffee again today, but I MUST WRITE! I barely hit 1,300 words yesterday before I had to go and pick up the girls. My hubby will be out the door in a few minutes, and then I should have three to four hours of uninterrupted peace and quiet. (Dani’s a sleeper.)

I think I’m having a hard time because I really have no clue where the story is going. Only a few stepping stones have been revealed to me between where I’m at and the HEA, and I’m not sure what the road is going to look like between points A, B, C and D. This happens every time, so I should be used to it, and just suck it up, forge ahead, and trust my characters to lead me where they want to go.

So supposedly Champlain has confirmed they received, filled out, and mailed all the appropriate paperwork off the High Point, so now we are just waiting for High Point to process their end and get the acceptance package off to us.

I’m seriously starting to stress. She leaves for school in six weeks and I know nothing. I don’t know what kind of grants or scholarships she is going to be offered. How much is this going to cost us? I don’t know which dorm she’ll be assigned, which means do I need full size bedding or twin size bedding? Does she need a fridge? What’s allowed in the dorm – coffee pot, microwave, etc.? Who’s her roommate? When can she choose her classes so we can get her books ordered?

I went through all of this last year, just like every other parent of a college freshman. I should not have to be subjected to it a second time, and because of Champlain dragging their feet, it’s actually worse this time. High Point is going to be looking for money, and the loans aren’t even finalized yet because we weren’t sure which school Lys was going to. It’s all such a cluster, and there isn’t a dang thing I can do about it at the moment.

Since there is nothing I can do about it, and stressing will not change the situation one iota, I am off to Ireland where I do have control.

I hope you have an amazing day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

You are speaking to a cashier, when you hear shouting behind you.

It was a typical Saturday morning. I was out running errands. I had stopped at the bank, the post office, at Starbucks to indulge in a mocha cookie crumble frappe, and my last stop, before tackling the grocery store was the dry cleaners. As usual, the place was hopping. There were two people in line ahead of me, as well as three others in line at the second register, but I did not mind. I was sipping on an entire day’s worth of calories, and I was quite content.

The two people in front of me picked up their orders, and it was finally my turn. Since this was an establishment I frequented regularly, I knew most of the employees. Mia, the owner’s daughter, was at the register. While she was ringing me up, and I was asking her about school and about her new boyfriend, a commotion suddenly erupted behind me.

I was shocked at how many photos
of cars who drove through dry
cleaner's front windows I had to
choose from on the internet. Who
knew being a dry cleaner was such a
dangerous job?

The tone of the patron’s voice had me instinctually jump out of the way, and I’m grateful I did. If I had taken the time to look and see what they were yelling about, more than likely, I would not be here today to tell you this harrowing tale.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. One second I was chatting with Mia, and the next, an SUV was parked in the very spot I had been standing. The car missed me by inches.

***

TOTAL FICTION, well at least as far as my involvement in the accident. A few days ago, I saw an episode of Caught On Camera, where this same scene played out. The girl behind the counter, remarkably, received only minor injuries, a few broken bones if I recall correctly. The elderly gentleman driving the car mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake. He was shaken, but was relatively unharmed.

Your Next Challenge is:

Genre: Mystery; Location: Somewhere down the shore; Situation: Someone is stealing something unusual

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

July 9th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! It is going to be another hot and sunny day in Central, New Jersey, but it will only reach the high eighties today, instead of the nineties like the past few days.

Lys didn’t want me to say anything before, but now that it’s pretty much common knowledge around here, I think I can. She will not be returning to Champlain College in the fall. Vermont in the winter is just not her thing, and I can’t say I blame her. That, paired with not feeling challenged by her classes, made the decision to leave fairly easy.

For months now, we have been trying to get all of Lys’ paperwork transferred from Champlain to High Point University in North Carolina, and have had nothing but delays. It’s rather ironic, don’t you think, that they managed to delay things just long enough where she can no longer get her registration deposit and her housing deposit back? Conveniently, they will be keeping a thousand dollars, and if they keep dragging their feet, she is going to miss the deadline to get into High Point.

What, do they think if she missed the deadline, she’ll be forced to return to their school? News flash, it ain’t happening. I’d rather have her take a semester off then return to a school with less than honorable practices. I’m so frustrated at this point, partly because of what they are doing, but also because I was gullible enough to drink their Kool aide. Like my daughter, I had been so impressed by the school, only to find it was an illusion.

After a few hours of writing, then dealing with the college, I went to work. Thankfully it was a real easy day. RV knows Tuesdays are my crazy day, so we usually limit them to one appointment and no running around. I finished up early and was able to take a nap before I had to leave for my writing group.

We had a good group last night. Tamara, who is part of the critique group, showed up thinking it was critique night. She got her Tuesdays mixed up, but we convinced her to stay, since she was there anyway. There were two new girls, Calley & Jacquelyn, who are only in town for a few weeks. They are interning at Princeton University, and decided to spend their night off with us. The “regulars” were there, so it was good to see them, but then a member, who has been m.i.a. for several months, showed up. It was so nice to see Sue again, I only wish we had had more time to catch up.

When I left my writing group last night, and began my drive home, it started to monsoon. The wipers were on full tilt, and I was dodging debris as I inched along at an earthshattering ten miles per hour. The bolts of lightning piercing the night sky were impressive, frightening, but impressive. I was seriously concerned if I would make it home before a tree branch crashed through my car.

I was kicking myself for taking my usual back road route as opposed to going the slightly longer, but less tree filled, highway route. As soon as I crossed the border between Princeton and Montgomery, the rain subsided considerably. Then, when I crossed the border between Montgomery and my town, the roads were bone dry. Okay, I thought, I got ahead of the storm. Now I won’t get drenched getting from the car to the house, my only worry is not getting hit by lightning.

It was all good. I pulled in the driveway. I parked my car on the lawn instead of at the top of the driveway where it would have been under a tree – Princeton looked like a war zone, there were downed trees and branches everywhere, and the storm was headed our way. I gathered my things, and got into the house incident free.

I bring the dog out to be emptied this morning, expecting to see a holy mess, and all is as it should be. I doubt it even rained here last night, so now I’m thinking, dang, I should have watered the garden. It always amazes me when I’m on the edge of the storm line. Princeton is only twelve miles away. They got a deluge; we got nothing. 

Guess I need to water this morning, before the sun gets too high, which means I have to go out now.

I hope you have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

“You can’t marry him/her!”

(The love of your life is about to marry someone else.)

Nicholas ~

I am writing you because, even after all these years, I still cannot find the courage to reveal to you, face to face, my true feelings. However, desperate times call for desperate measures; and the possibility of you marrying Margie is about as desperate as it gets, so I needed to start somewhere.

We have been the best of friends for over a decade now. We laugh together, cry together, and are the first person each other calls, when something important, or not so important, happens in our lives. Our families know and love each other.

We love each other, and have expressed it many times, but what I think you fail to see is that, not only do I love you, but I am in love with you. There, I said it. In plain English, so there can be no room for misinterpretation.

I couldn’t let you propose without knowing how I truly felt. If you feel the same, I’ll be on the park bench, at seven o’clock, on Saturday morning. You know which one.

~ Diana

Yeah, a prompt right up my alley. I even had time to go back and fix a booboo before my ten minutes were up.

Your Next Challenge is (from my writing group):

Use the following three: Parrot, Cerulean, Defenestrate (feel free to look it up, most of us didn’t know what it meant either)

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

June 5th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Artwork by Chris Madden

Good Morning! After two really hot sunny days – LOVE IT – in Central Jersey, we are having a cool, rainy, day. It’s a gentle rain, the perfect rain for my garden. I like when Mother Nature waters for me. Not that I mind watering, but over the winter, our hose developed a small leak and my husband hasn’t fixed it yet. So, I have to turn off the hose at the house every time I use it. Again, not a big deal except to get to the shut off, I have to go through some brush, and inevitably, I come out with a tick on me. UGH!! Something else my hubby has to do – spray the yard for ticks!

I don’t have to go into work today until one, so hopefully I’ll be able to get some stuff done for the party beforehand. If I could get the chocolates finished – well, actually started – that would be good. I don’t know why I do stuff like this to myself. I

really don’t enjoy making chocolates. I complain every time I have to make them, and swear I will never do it again…but I do. I’m pretty sure this is a clear definition of insanity.

I forgot to tell you, I picked up Lys from the airport on Tuesday night. No, your memory is not faulty. She was supposed to be picked up on Friday. Tyler got sick, and his surgery was postponed, so they came home early. I feel so bad for him. You have to psyche yourself up for surgery, even minor surgery, and then for it to get cancelled is almost more traumatizing than having the surgery itself. The poor kid!

One thing they did manage to do before they left was to visit High Point University. Lys is in love with the school. They met with the admissions counselor and he took them on a tour of the school. Unfortunately, he did not know their transfer paperwork was in already, or he would have had their acceptance packages ready for them when they arrived.

High Point University

Did I mention Lys wants to transfer colleges? Between not feeling challenged with the classes at Champlain and having the worst winter in a hundred years, Lys wanted out. I can’t say I blame her. A plus for us is, before any grants or scholarships, High Point is almost $10K less than Champlain. On the negative side, it’s an eight and a half hour drive (ten with breaks) as opposed to the six hour drive to Vermont. There is no way I could do a round trip in a day, so that means when and if I go down, it would require an overnight stay.

Honestly though, I was surprised my daughter had picked a school in Vermont. She is not a fan of the cold, nor does she enjoy being bundle up. She does not do any winter sports. Other than the school’s curriculum, I’m really not sure why she picked Champlain.

crime house

High Point appears to be a good choice. They have both of Lys’ majors, and they have had numerous transfer students from Champlain, so the credits she has earned from the “non-conventional” classes should transfer as well, which was a main concern of mine. Their criminal justice degree does appear to be slightly more in depth than the one she was in at Champlain. High Point actually has a “crime house” on campus which they use for hands on experience in crime scene investigation, as well as various other aspects of police training (mock raids and busts, serving warrants, etc.). They also have a course which focuses solely on profiling, which Champlain did not.

We will probably hear in the next week or so if Lys has been accepted to High Point. Between her high school transcripts, her SAT scores, and her college transcripts, we are not anticipating an issue, but I don’t want to jinx it by being over confident. Tyler’s GPA wasn’t quite as high as Lys’, but he’s pretty confident he will get in as well.

Austen Peay

If Lys isn’t accepted to High Point, she will be transferring to her second choice, Austen Peay, which is in Clarksville, TN. (The drive there is over twenty hours and will require three hotel stays round trip.) This is where she was originally headed, but then at the last minute, she got her acceptance to Champlain. Because Lys qualifies for the honors program at Austen Peay, her remaining three years of college combined would cost the same as her one year at Champlain, so I’m not too broken up over how far away it is. A.P. is also an excellent school with excellent programs in my daughter’s majors. Either way, we will not be returning to Vermont.

Okay, I have avoided the chocolates as long as I should. I hope you have a marvelous day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

Scenario: At the zoo. A young woman. There is music. Add surprise.

Janie loved the zoo, always had. Her childhood memories were filled with wonderful adventures she had had with her parents and siblings; her brother, her sister and she, mimicking the caged monkeys, and her parents watching, laughing and shaking their heads at their antics. During college, when Janie needed to get away for a little while to clear her head, she would walk to the zoo, sit, watch the animals, and feel her stress simply leave her body.

Janie blamed fate, or the stars, or perhaps destiny, that it was at a zoo where she first met Daniel. It was where they had their first date, and several subsequent dates over the past few years. Today, on the third year anniversary of that first date, they found themselves at the zoo again. Hand in hand, they strolled the paths, wandered from one habitat to the next, and allowed the nearly unnoticed, regional music wash over them.

Daniel had been unusually quiet, and when they reached the big cat section, a favorite for them both, Janie asked him if something was bothering him. He stopped her in front of Thor, the Bengal tiger’s cage, smiled, turned her toward him, and got down on one knee.

Your Next Challenge is (from the writing group):

Use the following: Strangle, Turtle, Soup (it can’t be turtle soup)

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.