GRADUATION!!!

The big celebration has come and gone, but not without great excitement and anticipation prior, tremendous laughter and pride during, and much thankfulness and exhaustion after.

Graduation was fun. I am so proud of the girls and all they have accomplished. The party was a blast and lots of great friends and family joined us in celebrating Ashley and Nicole! I made a slide show and gave the girls photo books of their lives thus far, which I think they loved! The food was awesome-Grandma should open a catering service. I couldn't have done it without her! I mean, who else has slow roasted pulled pork sandwiches at a high school graduation shin dig? Thanks Grandma Carolyn (oh and Grandpa helped too...thanks Big L)!

After everyone went home and the clean up was done (thank you Laurie!), we were exhausted! But it was all worth the smiles on my girls! They deserved every bit of it!

The countdown began several months ago and continues to be posted on our front door. Guests chuckle and ask me if I am counting the days until they leave, but in actuality, it is the girls who began the countdown and keep track of the ever-changing numbers. Although I am eager and excited to see what the future holds for each of my children, as the time closes in on the inevitable move-out dates, I get a little more emotional and know that I will miss my girls when they are gone...but that doesn't mean I don't want them to go :)

Brandon says he won't miss his sisters and is excited about his new freedom, space and food! Dad pointed out that he shouldn't get too excited as now he has both his parents able to devote all of their time and energy on one kid instead of three....look out Brandon :)

....Graduation Weekend!!! (live, live, laugh)

Perfect Prom

What a production! I only wish I could see the performance! But moms aren't invited.

Like any great performance, it began weeks ago with behind the scenes preparations. First the costumes had to be carefully chosen and purchase (two prom dresses, equally cute but they had to be different). I threw out the idea that maybe they should find a dress that could be worn again, after the prom. The girls are sensible and agreed with my idea...hmm, who'da thunk? So instead of long formal strapless gowns, they decided on knee length, more classic style dresses. Nicole found a black dress and Ashley found a navy one. Great! Done? Nope...

Next the perfect shoes had to be found, which was no easy task. Nicole had to find the perfect color of red heals. Not just any red, but a deep rich red. And of course Ashley needed hot pink pumps. After a thorough search of all stores in the entire Portland Metro area, we ended up special ordering shoes in the perfect color! Whew! Done? Nope...

What else is needed? Accessories! But not just any accessories. The kind of accessories that require going to multiple stores to purchasing bracelets, necklaces and earrings, to match the exact color of the previously purchased shoes, all individually found at different stores. Seriously. Five accessories for two girls were purchased at no less than 5 stores! But the stores failed Ashley and she couldn't find the perfect hot pink and silver sparkly necklace. No problem. We headed to Michael's to purchase the crystal beads and supplies for Mom to craft the needed necklace. All items match perfectly and look great with their dresses and shoes. Done? Nope...

Seems like there's not much more to do except buy nylons, choose nail polish, and figure out hair styles and make up. Last night I helped the girls paint their fingernails and toenails in the perfect shades of polish. Today we finished their nails and began the beautification process! Nicole wanted straight hair and Ashley wanted curly. I helped them style their hair and my job was done until photo time!

The girls headed to a friend's house to finish getting ready with a group of girls who were going to dinner and to the prom in a group of about 20 kids. I met them to take some photos and off they drove.

A lot of time, money and effort went into this Perfect Prom. Ashley and Nicole never once expected anything from me. They were grateful and appreciative of everything I did and helped them do. It was my joy and pleasure to shop for all the "perfects" that they wanted. I am so proud of the beautiful young women they have become. I know they will have a wonderful and memorable time tonight at their prom. I'm lucky to have been a small part of the memory. (Love)

My perfect prom princesses:

What To Bring With You to College

Okay, I'll admit that I'm over organized sometimes. I'm a true girl scout-always prepared! So in keeping with my true self, I have already searched the girl's college sites for lists of what they can and cannot take to college so that we can be prepared!

Of all the info I found, the best info I got was about dorm sheets. It turns out that regular twin size sheets are too short for dorm mattresses - yep, who knew that college kids need longer beds? And if that's the case, then why don't they need longer beds in high school too? Anyway, luckily there was a link to purchase said sheets. Check.

Other items on the college lists made me wonder how up-to-date these lists really are:
* Cassette player (great to use at the gym)
* Sewing kit
* Phone (check with roommates to avoid duplication. Should be cordless, with multiple message boxes in the answering machine)
* TV and VCR
* Dictionary and Thesaurus

Okay, maybe there are a few youth left in the world who don't own an mp3 player and a cell phone...NOT! And what college kid is going to do any mending? A VCR, really? And even I don't use an actual dictionary and thesaurus anymore... HELLO! Computers!

In addition, there is an exhaustive list of toiletries and office/desk supplies to bring that seem to have come from a mom of a 3rd grader going off to camp. Does a 17/18 year old really need to be told to bring their toothpaste or pens and pencils to school?

Well, enough ranting and raving. I think I feel pretty good that my kids will be prepared when they head off to college next year. I think all I need to do is order extra-long twin sheets! I hope they come in pink. (Laugh)

WOU Scholarship!

Yay! Coley got a great Presidential Scholarship from Western! It's an academic scholarship that will pay for about %25 of her tuition for four years! Although Coley's scholarship isn't as massive as Ashley's, Brian reminded me that Ashley's college tuition/housing will cost more than Nicole's. And Nicole added that there are more students at Western and more competition for the money than at Eastern -Touche'!

Even though Nicole was offered the scholarship from Western, she hasn't decided where she will go to college. She is also considering UofO and PSU. Hopefully they will offer her academic scholarships as well!

I'm very proud of Nicole. She has worked hard and has always been an excellent student! I know there will be more money coming her way for college very soon. Like Ash, she has written many essays and applied for lots of scholarships. Our next step for Nicole is to revisit the colleges she's interested in and talk to advisors, pick out dorm preferences and make a final decision.

EOU Scholarship!

Yay! Ashley got a great Academic Scholarship to Eastern for almost 50% of her tuition for 4 years! I'm so proud of her! Her hard work has really "paid" off! She has been applying for many scholarships and there are many more she will try for. We can only hope for more money to roll in :)

Ashley, Brian and I visited Eastern Oregon University again this past weekend. Since we were there in August, during the warm part of the year (an understatement), we felt Ashley needed to visit when it was cold (another understatement) so she could see/feel what she would be in for next winter. Ashely made a 10am appointment with the Office of Admissions so we had to leave home at 4:30am to get there on time. We encountered some freezing fog going over the pass, but arrived just a few minutes late.

We took another campus tour, talked to people in various departments, including housing and financial aid, as well as speaking with an advisor. This time we paid better attention to the details! We ate lunch in the student cafeteria (not bad at all) and bought Ash an EOU sweatshirt at the bookstore (school colors: blue and gold -the same as NHS!). It was extremely cold there and snow covered much of the ground. Ashley was excited and so were we! Go Mountaineers!

We drove around the town several times and checked out the area. We even went to a little soda fountain-Hought's 24 Flavors. We got some great drinks there. Bri got an old fashioned soda and Ash and I got shakes that were extremely thick, but very yummy! After checking out the town, we were exhausted and crashed at a local motel, only to wake up to SNOW! We decided to take off early and get back over the pass before the weather worsened. We stopped to visit friends in Hermistion (The Anderson's) and ate lunch before the long trek back home. It was a great introduction to the cold weather and long drive to/from Eastern Oregon for Ashley.

It was a great experience and I think it solidified Ashley's choice in colleges. It was weird for us to just have one of the girls with us on a trip. It's the first time we've ever taken just one of the girls anywhere overnight. I'm glad we did this as it helped us focus on Ashley and this important decision about her future. (Live)

Eastern - Western

My twins have been accepted to college, or I should say colleges! Ashley is planning on heading East to La Grande (a little farther than I'd hoped) and Nicole plans on staying closer to home in Monmouth. I've told them over and over (the repetitiveness may be for my own benefit too) that they should go to different colleges. It will be the best thing for them. Expand their horizons. Broaden their worlds. Not turn into freaky little old twin ladies who live together until they're 90, dressing alike until they die. I guess I've convinced them that this is the best thing for their future. And I really do believe that to be true.

But...yep there's a but...but I would also like them to go to the same college...take care of each other, keep each other accountable and make Mom feel better about her little girls leaving home and living in the great big ugly mean world. I've never worried about them being out in the world because they have always been together. Driving to school, going to movies late at night, going to the mall, they have always been together, taking care of each other, watching out for each other. They have each other's backs. Different colleges means being alone in the world. Something they have never really done. Different colleges means that no one will have their backs. Being alone means I will worry about them.

So, as I always do, I will pray...pray for their safety...pray they make good choices...pray for their new friends...pray they adjust to living with a new roommate...pray for their roommate :)...pray they don't miss each other too much...pray they aren't homesick...pray that I adjust to a quieter house...pray as I always do for them!

I'm so excited for them. The process is so great and I'm thankful to be a part of it and to be able to help them through the whole thing. Brian has been doing much of the work with applications and helping them find scholarships. We are planning second trips to the colleges that they have chosen and I have already began planning a grand graduation party! It has been fun thinking about all the things they will need when they move out...a dorm refrigerator, new sheets, towels...mostly stuff Dad doesn't care about and the girls aren't really thinking about, but things I can't stop thinking about. I can't wait to see who they will become. It's so exciting! (Live!)

ARCTIC BLAST

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...the weather guys are calling it an Arctic Blast. It has been snowing here off and on for over a week. The first large accumulation was on Saturday, Dec 20th, when it snowed for 14 hours straight! Then on Sunday, we got a little more snow and about 3/8ths inch of sleet. We measured the total snowfall last night (Sunday night) at 9 1/2 inches. After a few hours of shoveling and getting the driveway and the car cleared off, and chains on and ready for this morning, we awoke to more snowfall...almost 7 inches fell overnight for a grand total of just over 16 1/2 inches. Record breaking snowfall! So once again we got the shovels and plowed the walkway to the driveway and cleared the snow off the car so Brian could go to work this morning. I even have had to clear a path out the back door and clear a spot for the dog to go potty :) Weather reporters are predicting snow through the 25th...Looks like a white Christmas this year! (Laugh)