Ready! Set! Go! - Senior Year

I took the last week off to spend some time doing college related stuff with Cam, and relaxing it wasn't. Cam is finally home from his world travels and camp counselor job (eight weeks away with just about 10 days at home that whole time), so we really needed to get down to business and do some activities related to getting him ready for his senior year. First off, we took a trip to visit the University of Buffalo on Tuesday, and, while a nice campus (HUGE!) he was not swayed from his first choice, RIT.

We spent of a lot of Tuesday rushing from Fairport to Buffalo and back again to be back in time for his senior picture photo shoot. Despite much kicking and screaming (figuratively...), he turned out to be a very cooperative subject and the results were amazing! The formal picture was nice enough, but the black and white casual shots blew us away. We were very pleased and have an appointment tomorrow to finalize our order (side note: very very expensive - they obviously pull you in emotionally and soak you financially).

On Wednesday, we headed over to RIT for Cam's formal interview, and afterward walked around the campus a little. He is getting visibly excited for his senior year, seeing it as the stepping stone to next year at RIT. This week also served to reinforce what we've been telling him for the past two years about his grades and SAT scores, and I think he finally "gets it." He tells us that he's going to buckle down and do his best during the first 10 weeks of the grading periods (his last chance to impact his average), and he is really a lot more engaged in the SAT prep course he's in right now.

People ask me if I'm upset and about him being a senior and the looming college years, and I'm really not (as of today anyway!). I remember how special these days were for me, and I'm excited about the new experiences coming his way over the next couple of years.

The icing on the cake (did somebody say "cake"?) of this crazy busy week is that Cam finally got his learners permit (at 17 1/2). We haven't been out practice driving yet because the days have been filled, including a trip to Seabreeze with Annalisse and her posse, and a whirlwind trip to Massena from Friday to Saturday. Some friends told me about a guy they used to teach their kids to drive who is a former driver's ed teacher. That sounds really tempting and I may give him a call in the next couple of weeks.

So, Cam will be a senior in 10 days, and Annalisse will start her 10th grade journey. In a blink we'll be celebrating Cam's graduation from high school. Will I be ready?

Isn't it funny that as your kids grow, you grow with them?