Holding Onto Family

Had a great evening tonight. We were invited to have dinner with a former co-worker and her husband at their new house and so they could see my son's pics from Europe.

It was interesting to reminisce about how my son was in kindergarten when I first started working with them. Sometimes he would come to the office with me when I had to take him to VBS or something and then he'd spend the afternoon drawing or reading after I picked him up. The whole gang got to watch him grow up.

So they were just about as excited for him as I was when he had this Europe opportunity pop up on the radar.

You know, I'll really miss working with the gang. Life must go on, but this is a group of people with whom I will strive to stay in contact. We went through alot together over the years and saw highs and lows in our personal lives. We felt like a family in many ways, and that's something you don't find very often.

I'm hoping that once again I will be blessed to add a new family unit into my life. But for the record, I plan to hold onto this one too.

Reflecting

Tonight I find myself reflecting back on a summer almost gone.

This week my son is visiting his dad down in Oklahoma. The first of the summer I had a ton of days to myself while he was busy preparing and then going to Europe. Now I'm with another nine days all to myself while he's visiting his dad. He'll return and then it's prep for a new school year.

Wow!

I've also seen my relationship with my son take a new turn - a really positive one. The Europe trip allowed him to see that he's more than capable of taking care of himself. He feels more confident in his capacity and comfortable in his own skin, and it shows in everything. Now I find myself at a crossroads in this new relationship.

It is very important to me to allow him this space to continue down the road toward manhood. Problem has been that so much of my life has been devoted to raising him, but now I have a chance to begin the process of considering what I will do post child-rearing.

Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to the opportunity in many ways. For the first time in nearly seventeen years I have a chance to consider some of the things I've wished to do - things I've put on hold. Trips I may wish to take just for the pure enjoyment of it.

And without my son along for the ride.

I know it scares alot of people when the kids begin to leave the nest. There will be moments that it feels a little scary to me, but this is what I've worked and sacrificed for all these years. The time has come to see the payoff. How could I not be happy that this day is rapidly approaching?

That means my son will be off in the great big world, forging his own path, and my job will be complete - for the most part anyway.

Now all I need to do is start figuring out where I'll want to go first. I've a pretty good idea of where that will be. :-)

Slaying the Snowman and Other Sword Tales

The deliveryman just came bearing a gift.

My son finally received one of his swords purchased in Rothenburg, Germany during his Europe travels.

Comparatively speaking, it's actually rather lightweight for as long as it is. The medallion at the cap of the handle sports the familiar symbol of Richard the Lionheart. It's a nice rendition of a medieval knights sword.

The sword quickly found its place on my son's sword rack in his man cave. It's a good thing the sword was a little lighter than some of the other ones because I don't know how much more weight the wall can hold. Now there are only two open slots left on the rack.

The remaining sword to arrive has a home ready for it unless it comes with a separate hanging plaque. Another wall in his man cave already sports Anduril from the Lord of the Rings, but it hangs on it's own plaque. Had to buy special mounts to screw into the wall before hanging it because THAT, my friends, is one heavy sword (not to mention the thing is loooong!). That poor wall would kill me if we tried to hang another sword on it.

Never realized my son's penchant for swordplay until he was four. I bought him a cute little plastic sword, with which he summarily slayed a snowman and broke the tip off into it. We finally found the tip when the snow melted, but that poor sword didn't last long no matter how much superglue we used. Then he received another larger plastic sword as part of a costume a few years later.

Then came fencing classes when he received his first "real" sword, an electronic rapier weapon. He's been collecting various swords ever since, including two from the Final Fantasy movie sitting on his bedroom dresser. Sometimes I forget about those.

Of course, I have a tendency to support his fascination when birthdays and Christmas come around. Fantasy is my favorite genre remember.

For now we'll await the next brave deliveryman to grace our doorway, once again bearing a gift from the Old World to the New.

An Eye On London

Still writing like crazy, so I'm going to share some pics of London in today's post. The goofy pic and the panorama of London were taken while he was aboard the London Eye, an enormous ferris wheel type ride which takes thirty minutes to complete one revolution. Enjoy!

Pictures of Windsor England

Today I'm full in the throes of writing, so I'll just post a few pictures of my son's visit to Windsor in England. The queen was in residence at the time the group was there (see the flag flying). More pictures will come in time.

Photo Phun

Well we've had an interesting past twenty-four hours.

Spent the better part of yesterday and most of the night trying to download all of my son's Europe pics for a one-hour print job at our local Wal-mart. When we went to bed last night it was at around 54%.

So this morning we got up to find that they'd all downloaded spendidly, and I could actually place the order. Finally!

That took another hour to do.

Once the order was complete, instead of being ready in one hour they'll be ready at 5:00 tonight.

We were planning to leave at 4:00 today. So much for them apples.

Of course, I'm not really surprised. Is it even humanly or technologically feasible to print over six hundred pictures in the course of an hour?

I didn't think so either.

Needless to say, I'm just glad to know they'll still be done today so we can hit the road and go blow up the sky.

It IS that time of year again, don't you know.

Knowing

Well I was wrong. My son didn't buy a sword in Germany.

He bought two.

Like I said, I know my son. Smart kid though, because instead of trying to pack the swords and carry them through customs, he arranged to have them mailed directly from the store. They should arrive in two to eight weeks.

It's so good to have him home, even though he's still messed up a bit from the time change. Waking up too early and so tired during the day. But this too shall pass.

Kinda funny - when the plane pulled up to the gate, there was a massive swarm of family and friends around the glass. I'd planned appropriately and grabbed one of only two chairs early on at the window so I could watch their approach in relative comfort.

Even though he looked tired, his eyes were bright from the experience as he made his way though the crowd.

He even reached out to hug me first. :-) Usually I'm the one having to squeeze in a hug here or there, because he IS too old now for those affectionate moments, but this time it was him initiating the affection.

What more could a mother want?

Up until about the halfway mark driving home, he chattered along incessantly about different things that happened on the trip, the antics he and the guys participated in at times, his favorite parts of the excursion, the things he didn't like - you name it.

Then suddenly the car was quiet. I looked over to see his head lolled back and his mouth wide open - fast asleep without a moment's notice.

For the next hour and twenty I had a touch of trouble staying awake but knew we'd be just fine. The Lord had answered my prayers with a resounding "yes" that he would have a great experience, he'd make some great friendships, and that this would continue the growth he's had over the past year.

Amen, and amen on all accounts.

Now if he can just get his swords as quickly as possible, he will feel complete.

He's Back On U.S. Soil

My baby boy is back on U.S. soil!!!!!!!

Their flight from Frankfurt landed almost an hour earlier than anticipated. I've turned on the cell phone just in case he tries to call and touch base with me.

At the moment, I'm sure they're still trying to make it through customs. I've never experienced such an event before since I've never traveled outside the U.S., but from what I've heard it can be quite a lengthy and drawn out experience.

I do have to admit that I'm a little concerned that he is able to get back into the country with all of his spoils. One of the shops in Rothenburg that he made his last purchases at is a decorative weaponry shop, with swords, armor, etc. Since my son collects swords and such, and his transaction was rather large, I'm wondering if the crazy kid bought himself a sword.

Only thing is he's not eighteen, and I've no idea how security and customs will respond to him bringing in a sword, decorative though it may be.

Then again, he may have purchased other things completely unrelated to swords and the like, so I may be concerned for nothing.

But I know my son.

Anyway, worse comes to worse, they'll hopefully arrange to mail the thing to me or let one of the adults claim it through customs. I've been praying that whatever he bought, he'll be able to get home with all of his plunder from the Europe travels.

Regardless, I'll just be glad to hold him in my arms again. Just a few hours remaining and he'll once again be home.

That's the main thing to be thankful for.

The Days are Dwindling

I received another expenditure notice on my son's Visa cash card. He spent almost $80 at the Swarovski Crystal shop in Innsbruck, Austria.

Sure hope that means he was thinking about me. :-)

So Monday they left the beauty of Switzerland and headed off toward Austria and the village of Seefeld. Another early morning and they hopped on their coaches.

First stop after crossing the Rhine River was a few hours in the tiny country of Liechtenstein for an early picnic lunch in Vaduz, a touch of exploring, and a little bit of shopping (he used the card in Vaduz too). I wonder what all he chose to see here - can hardly wait to ask and see the pictures.

Then it was a scenic drive through the Tyrol region of Austria and onto Seefeld where they checked into their hotels in the late afternoon. The beautiful little church that was represented on their tour brochure cover is here in Seefeld. They mentioned something about searching for the "yodeling bear", but I have no idea what this may truly pertain to. Something else to ask him about when he returns. After dinner, they ended the long day with a concert at St. Oswald's Church.

Tuesday was spent in Innsbruck, Austria (where he bought something(s) at the Swarovski shop), with planned stops enroute to Wilten Basilica and the site of the Winter Olympic Games. The morning and lunch period were spent sight-seeing around Innsbruck starting from the Old Town Square beneath the famous Golden Roof, added in the year 1500 by Austria's first emperor, Maximilian, from which he could watch in private the tournaments and other festivities in the square below. An early evening concert-in-the-park then back to Seefeld for dinner and lights out.

Oh my goodness, Wednesday was one of the biggest things my son was looking forward to the entire trip - VENICE, ITALY. When he received the itinerary, he was disappointed to learn that they were only spending the day in Venice and not at least one overnight. But hey, beggars cannot be choosers.

So Wednesday they got up REALLY early to go from Seefeld, Austria to Venice, Italy for the entire day. At their drop off at the coach park at the Isla del Tronchetto, they collected an early boxed lunch and set off in their vaporetto, or water taxi, for a thirty-minute jaunt into the heart of Venice to meet their tour guide. After an introduction of the wonders of Venice, including the Grand Canal, gondolas, the Bridge of Sighs and ending with a glass-blowing demonstration, they trumped off to St. Mark's Cathedral for their concert then the rest of the afternoon they had free-time to explore the Piazza San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and Italian ice cream.

I can only imagine the incredible views, and I'm getting sick of only imagining at this point.

Their day ended close to midnight as they returned to Seefeld to prepare for their morning departure to Germany, the last stop in their incredible adventure.

The days are rapidly dwindling in his Europe adventure.

He's Alive!

My son is alive!

Okay, a little dramatic and over the top, but it's sure good to know he's still kicking it up in Europe. Throughout his travels thus far, I've yet to hear hide nor hair of him. But my philosophy in his regard is no news is good news. Before he left out for Europe, I'd told him not to worry about calling home unless he just wanted to, because I wanted him to know it was okay to just focus on where he was at the time and enjoying the experience, not worrying about back home and all.

So I sent him off with various denominations of pounds, Swiss francs, and euros and with a Visa cash card for extra reassurance so he felt comfortable spending money for food and souveniers without concern of running out of cash. The nice thing about the card is that I can track where he's spending that money and "follow" him throughout his travels.

Only problem is that he hasn't used the dadgum thing! I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't working or if he felt okay spending the money, or what. I'd previously called the bank to let them know the dates he'd be gone and where he'd be so that he wouldn't have any trouble using it when needed.

I'd had a problem like this when I went to Alaska once and the card wouldn't go through because it got flagged by security - I rarely ever used the thing, but a quick call fixed the problem - couldn't be mad or anything, but learned a valuable lesson.

So this morning there was a lovely post reflected in my email - a card transaction. Oh goodie! Of course, it was a souvenier shop in Zermatt, Switzerland, a village near the base of the Matterhorn. I just knew he'd love this portion of the trip. :-) Snow, mountains, and cooler temps are our favorite treats.

So where did we last leave off? Oh yes - they left Paris and arrived in Switzerland on Friday. That was an early morning and a long drive. They were allowed to spend the late afternoon/evening to themselves in the town of Crans-Montana.

Saturday was a morning all to themselves, if they wanted to sleep in a little or get up and around to explore Crans-Montana (I'm wondering what his decision was). At noon they boarded the coaches to tour the Chateau du Chillon (better known as the Castle of Chillon), incorporated into the Lord Byron poem, "The Prisoner of Chillon." A lovely stroll around Lake Geneva to the village of Montreux with a stop at an ice cream delicacy shop along the way completed their afternoon.

After dinner upon their return to Crans-Montana, they prepared for their two-hour sundown Concert in the Alps. Can you imagine the sound of instruments and voices floating in the mountains of Switzerland?

Then Sunday was their incredible day of sight-seeing in Zermatt at the Matterhorn. First it was a thirty-minute cog rail ride from Tasch to Zermatt, then boarding the funiculaire for an IN-mountain ride. Disney's could not possibly match such incredible adventure and breathtaking beauty as the real thing. Deep breath!

While exploring Zermatt, they might have happened upon the famous Climbers Cemetery to view the historic markers or the old log granaries where residents would pilfer "mazot" - thin circular stones, to stop rodents from illicit grain harvesting. Dinner that evening was a special treat, as the Ambassadors were honored guests at the annual Swiss Folklore Celebration, an evening planned with folklore, music, laughter, and general all-around foolishness for their Swiss send-off.

Today it was once again an early morning as they loaded the coaches to spend time in Liechtenstein on their way to Austria.

Just a little more than halfway there - I'm just glad to know he's made it this far.

Gone

In just a few hours, my son will be landing in London, England. How I wish I could miraculously see his face on this trip and hear his voice singing.

This morning was a little emotional once again for me. Everything seemed fine until he got in the line to pass through the security checkpoint and onto the gate. He seemed a little nervous and out of sorts, so I tried to stay close by as long as I could. Just before he passed through, I gave him one more hug and reminded him to take full advantage of the gift he's been given.

Then he was gone.

I got one more glance at him as he passed on the other side of the pexi-glass. We smiled at each other and then did the double thumbs up. Tears sprang again into my eyes and I waved wildly.

It was time for me to leave.

The drive home was long. Last night was fitful for both of us - therefore, I felt completely drained and exhausted.

The phone has barely stopped ringing since I arrived home. His dad called again, thinking he was leaving tomorrow. I told him our son had thought of him and that he'd be gone for Father's Day and felt a little bad at the realization. The thoughts seemed to please his dad.

Thank you everyone for the prayers for his safety. It gives this old mom much needed comfort.

Emotional Bubblings

One more post before we head out this afternoon.

My worries concerning forgetting anything will dissipate tremendously once my son is on the plane. Figure if we forget any minor things here at home tonight then we can always stop by Wal-mart in Kansas City. But once he boards that plane there's nothing I can do.

The major players are good to go, tucked in his carryon. He's got his passport, driver's license, pounds, euros, and francs, the Visa cash card, and then a bit of U.S. cash stashed away in the neck pouch.

It almost cracked me up last night. Here we've been trying to get the ducks in a row concerning the foreign currency, that I completely neglected any U.S. dollars for snacks or goods while in the U.S. airports. Popped him a twenty for good measure. He's got the cash card too if anything should be needed, but I really don't want him using that while still on U.S. soil.

So many feelings and emotions are churning underneath the surface right now. They'll probably come bubbling up later, but for now the anxiety to cover all bases is what's driving me and eating away at the lining of my stomach.

One thing I'll have to carry me through the next few weeks is the memory of their send-off performance yesterday. The stringed orchestra sounded so incredibly lovely, but it was the joy on my son's face while he was singing in the middle of the front row risers that had me practically glowing.

I had to swallow so many tears as they welled up in my eyes. I can't tell you how proud I am of him right now nor the joy I feel at being able to give him this amazing opportunity. In just three short (no, make that long) days he's learned so much music and the group has come together to create a tremendous whole. Every single dime and headache has been worth it just to see that look on his face.

Now I hope all goes well. Off to Kansas City!

Feeling Frantic

Seems the closer we get to the send-off, the busier we're becoming.

Friday morning my son leaves for Europe, as if you didn't already know. Thursday we have to drive to Kansas City. Today he's finishing up his final day of rehearsals and having a big concert late this afternoon.

Last week I thought I had most everything taken care of. This week I feel like I'm running around like the proverbial chicken minus a head.

Thank God my son's Visa cash card came in yesterday! That alone was an enormous weight off my shoulders. After the concert today, we need to make ANOTHER trip to Wal-mart to pick up some last minute items.

I'm feeling quite broke at the moment, but this too shall pass.

Tonight is supposed to be church and choir rehearsal. For some reason I had the idea that we'd be able to make it. Now I'm not so sure. Instead of the "to-do" list getting shorter, it seems that for every one item I cross off, I add two new. The frantic feeling just won't go away.

I've a sense that even when my son steps on the plane, the frantics will stay with me.

Probably until his return.

The Big Week

Well the big week for my son is here.

Lunchtime they had their orientation meeting at the university campus and then went straight into rehearsals until ten tonight. While standing in line to meet his tour staff member, my son got to talking with a couple of other guys and they decided to room together on the England leg of the trip. Guess he's not going to waste any time! I'm so proud of him.

There's so much to catch and remember from the orientation meeting that my head is about to spin. I can only imagine how my son is going to feel after tonight. Not only does he have a strict itinerary to follow the next few days, he's also got to memorize music, make friends, and get packed.

So I've started the packing process for him this afternoon. Luggage size is tight but I'm pretty good about getting quite a bit into small spaces. Not sure how he's going to do unpacking and then packing during the trip, but I'm sure he'll manage.

There'll be plenty of space in his carry-on for trinkets, souveniers, and mementos. He's under strict orders to save EVERYTHING, ticket stubs, programs, the works, in order to put together a memory book for him when he returns.

The next two days will be early mornings and late evenings as they prepare and memorize their music. Wednesday will be a special send-off concert. Thursday we'll head to Kansas City, then Friday morning he'll be on the plane bound for the adventure of a lifetime.

I wonder if I'll get much sleep the next couple of weeks.

I'm sure my son won't.

The Countdown Begins

In exactly one week my son will be on his flight to Europe.

I'm feeling a teeny bit anxious.

This week we got his pounds, euros, and Swiss francs (they're so pretty!) and ordered his Visa cash card. Wish I'd have known about the cash card a little sooner. We're rather cutting it close to get the card before he leaves.

Also received his flight itinerary. They'll leave out in the morning and have to be at the airport three hours before departure. Needless to say, I've made hotel reservations for Thursday night in Kansas City.

So many unexpected expenses have arisen in regard to this trip, but it still doesn't matter. To have the honor of such an experience is something that I may have been willing to go into hock for, truth be told. I'm just glad he gets to go and that I have the ability to send him.

Sometimes there are opportunities in life that are just too important to let slide by.

Watching From The Wings

It's the last week of school.

My son's sophomore year of high school is rapidly drawing to a close this week. Shortly he will be a junior, flit off to Europe, and then return and (hopefully) get a job. This has truly been a fantastic year for him.

For years he struggled with life and the hard hits he'd taken. Every year we faced difficult attitudes, poor grades, frustrations, and fears. Last summer he seemed to hit a turning point. This year he's finally hitting his stride. He's coming off a year with mostly A's and a few B's. He's taken some classes that have interested him and stretched him beyond his comfort zone too.

Throughout it all he's not only survived but somewhere along the way he began to thrive. If you'd have told me last year that he would end up trying out and performing a solo for the big concert, I'd have said you were nuts.

He's risen to the challenge in so many ways this year. I'm excited to see what happens for him next year and the year after that.

Then college. Wow!

Hopefully by then he'll have a better understanding of what he'd like to do. If only he could combine music, drawing, and architecture into one fabulous career he'd be set. Let's just see where his focus leads him.

It's exciting to be able to watch from the wings as he spreads his own.

Finding the Passion

Spring break is now sprung.

Yes, my son and I returned safely home Saturday night and he returned safely to school this morning.

They're getting ready for their Memphis trip and festival contest. Then it's regionals and state competition. This year they have enough guys in the various choirs at school that they are able to participate in state large group competition for the men's category. It was great hearing an entire choir of guys at their last concert!

My son also has two solos he's been preparing for competition and regionals. Really hope he does well and is able to make it to state as a soloist. He's been really busy.

Won't believe this, but he also tried out Sunday afternoon for the worship team at our church. We have two different types of services - classic service, which is where I sing with the choir and praise teams, then contemporary service where my son currently attends. Contemporary has a worship leader and then alternating worship teams that lead music.

I wasn't sure if they'd let him try out since he's only sixteen but they had him sing a little bit, practice some of the harmony part and then sing with one of the ladies. Don't know if he'll get it or not, but that doesn't really matter so much to me.

I'm just so proud of him for taking courage and trying out. It's really been such a great year for him and I hope it continues to be so. He's really stretching himself and exploring his gifts. I'd love to see him find a way to utilize his passion as his source of income someday.

It's something I wish I'd have figured out a little sooner. I just didn't know which way to turn when I was younger, as I was really good at several different things. Would have been nice to have had someone help guide me in that regard.

Which is one reason why I'm really trying to pay attention to what he'd like to do and surround him with opportunities to get out there and just do it.

Next stop - Memphis.

But Europe is coming.

Phantom Phascination

My son is a rabid "Phantom" fan.

This week he asked me to order him the soundtrack from the movie that came out a few years ago. Don't know why we didn't get it in the first place. He's also been looking at the track version of the songs. A bit pricey, but since he was paying he wanted to go ahead and order that too.

So we did. Next year he's going to be in theatre and wants to work on the drama instructor to see if he can talk her into doing "Phantom of the Opera" his senior year.

He wants to play the masterful yet troubled phantom.

Then this summer in Europe they are seeing the London Theatre's production of "Phantom".

I can understand his obsession. Ever since I can remember, I've loved the story, the music, the passion.

Many years ago they came out with a television version (non-musical/opera) that was okay, but without the musical components it was rather bland.

I watched it anyway. :-)

Since my son was away at a forensics tournament last night we decided to have our movie and pizza tonight. You'll never guess what we watched.

You got it - "Phantom of the Opera". I never really get tired of it either.

But something was different tonight. The music always captures me and carries me away with it. However, watching it tonight I was so much more engaged with the story than I've ever been before.

I cried!

Tonight I saw through the music. I saw the depth of the story, the depth of the torment, the anguish, and ultimately the love the phantom showed Christine when he let her go and released her to love someone else.

Not sure yet why it touched me so. Wish it wasn't time change weekend so that I could stay up and explore this. Maybe it has a little bit to do with how my son relates so much to the phantom, all the hurts and pain of the past weighing him down and how he finally releases it.

Perhaps we can have a conversation about it. Perhaps I'm reading more into it than there truly is.

I have a tendency to do that, you know.

In the meantime, I will be thankful for allowing it to touch me in the manner it did tonight. Music always reaches me where nothing else can.

But tonight it was the story. Go figure.

Flowers and Phantoms

With spring on the horizon, I've been dreaming of flowers.

That's right - it's just about time for the annual spring planting of the annuals (tee-hee). Of course, this year it will be trimmed down some.

Even though I'll need to be careful about spending money at the moment, I've got to do a little bit of floral gardening and getting my hands in the dirt. Gardening is what keeps me sane (and outdoors). I may need to take about $100 from savings to just start one little garden plot.

Last year I'd planned to create a couple of neat gardens around our new house come spring. But then there was the big and unexpected Europe trip opportunity for my son and all funds needed to be on deck for that. The trip is paid for and the uniform is purchased, along with the London Theatre ticket to see Phantom of the Opera.

Now I find myself unemployed.

It won't take much money for me to get a small plot prepared and planted with a few choice items. Just does so much for my soul that the bit of cash will be worth every cent expended. Maybe I should invest in a few perennials instead of annuals to make the money worthwhile for the future.

There's just something so soothing about connecting with God's green earth. Life may feel chaotic, but the richness of the soil draws peace from chaos like sucking poison from a wound. Plus there is the satisfaction of the hard work put into it when the garden explodes in color. I can get alot of mileage for the mind from a few moments digging around in the ground.

Yep - gonna have to plant me a flower garden this year.

Method To My Madness

Well this week is pre-enrollment for next year. My son and I have spent a great deal of time reviewing class requirements and fun electives as he continues to push toward high school graduation.

So hard to believe we'll be there in two short years.

These previous two years I specifically made him take some courses that are required for graduation, but that he could take anytime during his four years of high school.

At first he didn't understand why I was requiring him to get those classes out of the way so quickly during his freshman and sophomore years. Now that we're gearing up for his junior year, he sees the validity of my thinking.

See, there is method to my madness.

In a few short months he will have satisfied all of the graduation required credits like speech, computer, social sciences, etc., leaving him with nearly complete freedom to choose classes to fill his remaining years. All he has to do is just take another English requirement, a math requirement, and U.S. History.

The rest will be just for fun.

So he's planning to take a special invitation-only music class, take theatre, a technology class, drawing, web design. Oh, and he decided that he'd go ahead and get Principles of Economics out of the way.

Not a graduation requirement - a mom requirement.

Far too few people these days understand even the most basic economic principles. My son won't be one of them. Heck, at this point he could almost teach the class based upon what he's learned here at home.

Then his senior year he can have some fun and also take some dual credit classes for college credit. The way we've figured it, once he finishes high school he'll have already obtained an entire semester of college credits.

With the Europe trip coming up, he'll also be eligible for college credit there too. This way he'll be well ahead of the game and at a discount for dear old mom.

Showing, once again, that there's always method to my madness. It just takes awhile to see it sometimes. But I think the light is beginning to dawn for my son, and he's liking what he sees.