Let the Games Begin

I feel so old.  My baby is a junior in high school and has started the college process.  When did this happen?  I can't possibly be old enough to have my youngest child thinking about colleges.  Ugh.

Over the long weekend we visited Swarthmore College.  We did the tour and the information session.  We learned why Swarthmore is special.  We also learned that every plant and tree on campus is labeled with its latin name because besides being a college campus, Swarthmore is also an arboretum.

And then we did the obligatory swing through the college bookstore to acquire a t-shirt.  Since Kate has two dozen schools on her list, I've had to put the kibosh on sweatpants and sweatshirts.  We just don't have closet space for any more sweat gear.  At least t-shirts fold up small.  And besides, past experience with Charlie indicates that once they actually apply to and are accepted into college, all those gym shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants (and at least one pair of flip flops) with college names other than the one they are actually attending, gather dust and never see the light of day again.  Apparently wearing a t-shirt from one school when you are attending another is simply not done.  It is especially not done if you've applied to and were turned down by a school.  Then I think that burning said logoed gear is probably in order.

We have a big swing through New York and Connecticut scheduled for spring break.  And then a driving odyssey through New England over the summer.  Oh, and a little jaunt out to the west coast.  And a stop in the midwest.  And maybe a few more stops that I've forgotten.

Let the games begin.