I'll get back to the trip and Cartagena soon - but it takes a long time to select photos, upload them, and such and the hub keeps taking the picture card and putting "away" so when I have a min. to work on the next trip post, I have to go hunt the pictures. More time I don't have.

Right now I am deep into the annual top to bottom, every nook and cranny, drawer/closet/cabinet cleaning. I need to get it done now while I have D2 at home to help with the regular stuff that fills my days, giving me time to do this extra stuff. It feels really really good to get everything straight and clean again. I hit areas through the year, here and there, but once a year cleaning every single thing is crucial to keeping the clutter at bay and some semblance of order and organization for the reminder of the year.

Just a quick update on the goings on around here:

D2 is all graduated from UNC - Go Heels!- She now has a BA in English Lit.
This is her departmental graduation. Small, intimate, they even called the young adults' names one by one and gave them their "diplomas" - rolled up blank paper, the real thing is mailed in Aug...


And this is the big deal. All 3,500 - give or take - graduating seniors streaming into Kenan stadium. I gotta tell you, can't help but get a little choked up when those Carolan Blue clad kids start down the isles.


And here the class of 2010 in its entirety

She's a Tar Heel born and bred.

Her plans for the coming year are in complete turmoil. She applied for the English Lit masters program at Carolina (they graduated less than 10 Masters of EL this year) - when she was turned down we were a bit surprised and a little irritated (I'm a mom, it's my job). She went to her faculty mentor in the program to ask him what she could do this coming year to increase her chance of being accepted next year. Guess what he said ---- Carolina had decided to eliminate the program starting now, everyone who applied was rejected and if they had not eliminated the program she would have been accepted. Makes her (and me) feel better a little, it is not that they rejected her after all... but sure would have been nice if they had let the kids know they were considering ditching the program - she could have applied for the masters in education program. Now it is too late until next year. Erg. With the new regulations for keeping kids her age on parents' health insurance in flux - no one seems to know what has to be done - she doesn't know how best to use this year. She will have to take some classes to remain a dependent, but we don't know how many hours. Making the wrong choice could cost $10,000 - so tensions run high. She wants to live in the Raleigh area because employment opportunity is better there than here - getting a job in Asheville is famously difficult - and because she would have access to classes both at UNC and NC State. She is leaning toward extra classes in Lit, Business, and Education - plus subbing in the public schools there and/or tutoring high school kids, volunteering at D1's school (working on their school paper, D2 has a good bit of background with award winning high school papers, working on the UNC paper, and attending summer journalism schools) - AND probably waiting tables or some other part time job to bring in money to help cover expenses for a non schooling (sort of) year. It will work out, but she is going to have to bust her butt.

As if all the changes in the life of D2 were not enough, D3 is in Ireland studying at the University College Cork (UCC) - music of course - for a few weeks this summer. She is in her element and seems to be having a great time. As soon as she gets back from Ireland she begins a summer session at App State. Plus she has a gig or two this summer and will teach harp and fiddle at an Irish Arts Weekend in Columbia, SC.

Rosalie seems to be doing well, finally. She is spending 10 hours a day outside and within a week we expect to be able to swap her back for her normal night turn out. We are riding her 5-6 days a week and she is even getting in some canter - again, finally. I'm holding my breath - it has been two steps forward, one step back so many times that I can't relax yet. But hope springs eternal.

Good thing all this activity is in the kids lives, I don't have the energy for it all - barely have the energy to be the mom involved in their lives.

BTW - a lot of the violence and turmoil in Bangkok these days is happening a block or so from the hotel where we stayed back in November. So glad we got our trip in before this mess started. Hate what this is doing to the country. They REALLY need their tourism industry.