Big week

application procrastination

must run in the family. we had a rerun of jake's run up to the deadline for applying to schools. i guess i understand the desire to prolong it, you don't have any control once you push that 'submit' button. now it's up to higher powers to decide his fate. will he be west, midwest, or south? his essays look good, but who knows what they're looking for?? counting on his stellar gpa and test scores to pave the way for him, and can't lie, crossing my fingers a little too. now, we wait. so think good thoughts people, think good thoughts.

misc.

christmas is officially over. the last one with brady living here. so weird. next year, they'll both be 'coming home' for the holidays. tried not to think of it too much, pretty easy given how busy we were. but now, it keeps creeping up on me...last one, last one, last one. just keep shoving it down. Brady's busy finishing up his college essays, finally, so i guess he's really going to go:) few more big meets to go, Roosevelt next - last year i really didn't even think about the possibility of winning it, this year's a different story - more pressure - hoping they'll all step up and make it one to remember.

roll rails roll

rails are on a roll. even without one of their key swimmers, they're undefeated. that is likely to end at their next meet - valley. but they've all been working really hard, showing up, and throwing down:) brady had an awesome come from behind anchor leg in the 400 free relay tonight, making up a two body length lead the other team had on him. WAY TO GO RAILS:)

season starts

the season is underway. his senior season. yup. already. it feels like yesterday that he and jake drove off to practice together for jake's last season. now it's his turn. because he's such a hard worker, and put in a decent amount of time in the pool this fall, i don't think he's struggling (unlike other unnamed teammates). it's tough, it's always tough, but he's on track to a good year. go get 'em brady!

day seven - unc

so, last school. unc. great basketball. that's all. seriously, that's all i remember. the whole school had a very energetic vibe, lots of students out and about and hustling and bustling. felt a lot like iowa city. brady volunteered to take part in a quiz during the presentation (kinda shocking actually), a fun way to kick off the session. but that sort of set the tone for the whole thing, lots of fluff and fun. not even a mention of the schools academic reputation. she talked a lot about her experience there, and her major, and how she switched her major, (turns out music wasn't her 'jam' - an often used phrase of hers) but no focus on what the school offers academically. oh well, not every school is a fit. ate lunch in downtown chapel hill, LOTS of carolina blue was worn by the diners. later that night, we ate at a nice restaurant in downtown durham, had the best pasta i think i've ever had. black ink squid noodles, with rock shrimp and carbonara. it's been a busy busy week, full of all kinds of information. i think brady's, and we, are a little overwhelmed. so time to drive home and process.

day six - duke

i truly have no idea why, but duke was my dream school. my college 'search' was practically non-existent, no tour around the country, just a trip to iowa with a friend who had a brother there. but for some reason, i remember dreaming about duke. woulda, coulda, shoulda....this is a cool campus! north carolina's a really pretty state, and the grounds are gorgeous. so are the buildings. so are the kids. well, not gorgeous maybe, but clean-cut, polite and pleasant. they look like they're having a good time there...impressive academics of course, and really up-to-date facilities. AND, the only campus we've visited that has its very own lemur research facility. with lemurs. not sure how you top that. ran into another family from des moines, i went to drake with her, she and her son were looking at schools in the area. what are the odds? anyway....good day, think brady liked it. oh yeah, founded by methodists. maybe it's a sign? our tour guide was very cute, not terribly polished - which was actually refreshing - she struggled to think of things to say at several spots along the tour, but you could tell she was very enthusiastic about her school.
unc next.