The nest is empty.
The College Savings accounts are approaching empty.
To sum it up: We have 2 "Things" in college; Spring Break routine around here is pretty normal work-a-day fare now-a-days for us. But Spring Break is a big deal for the those in school.
Thing 1 [Inga] stayed close to home in Eugene, Oregon, enjoying the gray skies and misty spring Northwest weather. But their was purpose to her inertia, she was working to finish writing her Honors College senior thesis on the University's recently implemented smoking (tobacco) cessation program and the affect of a smoke-free campus policy, which she hopes to get published. And anyhow, where would she go over Spring Break anyway? -- because she doesn't even own a car. BUT wait! Mr. Dylan says "Things" (or at least the times) are a changin'. How true. It is always true.
As Inga has known since Christmas, she will be getting a used car from her Grandparents in Montana handed down to her. Spring Break seemed like the best time for this new thing for Thing 1. The Grandparents drove their old Subaru to Eugene where they plied Inga and her friends with restaurant food over the weekend and then on Monday they went down to the DMV to transfer title and get Oregon plates on the car + an Oregon driver's license as one of her new accessories for the grown-up world.
First trip with the new wheels was to Silver Falls State Park with Sean and the Grandparents for a good day of high scenic value and Fred Myer Deli sandwich's. Can it get any better?
Rolling in largess and with her temporary license, Inga drove to the humble Eugene airport where she dropped of the travelers and kept their car and bid them well as they caught a plane to Seattle and then transferred on to Kalispell where the Senior Bus awaited their arrival and took them to their familiar doorstep and a garage now back to a reasonable population of the new Subaru and the dualie Dodge diesel pickup.
Thing 2 [Grant] had grandiose plans for his week off. Grant and his two apartment mates left Friday afternoon as soon as Thing 2's interview project with a Hall of Fame Hacky-Sacker was concluded, audio and video edited and turned in to the Journalism professor before Spring break. The 3 of them had the week ahead meticulously planned out, down to the mile and time. They would take Grant's Camry and drive all night to Port St. Lucie, Florida, while in their rearview mirror Columbia, MO was getting yet another dump of 6" of snow an windy frigid weather. The Florida Atlantic Coast was 80. Good choice.
The plan was not so much for the Spring Break beach party, but for the final week of Major League Baseball's Spring Training season. Sean is a huge NY Mets fan and so they hung out mostly around the Mets games as Sean's team developed their roster for the coming 2013 season. While sitting next to the bull pen, Grant scored a souvenir ball from Mets pitching coach, Ricky Bones. The three mates enjoyed the casual atmosphere and sunny weather around the stadium while exchanging banter with the ballplayers and former Mets pitcher and current commentator on the MLB Network, Al Leiter.
They did get to the beach a time or two and also drove to Miami's South Beach to check out the scene. A stop for Memphis-style ribs on the way home through Memphis, but alas, Grant has honed his skills on ballplayers and barbecue; and the verdict is:
1) the Mets will struggle again this year and
2) nothing is ever going to beat Texas barbecue.
The College Savings accounts are approaching empty.
To sum it up: We have 2 "Things" in college; Spring Break routine around here is pretty normal work-a-day fare now-a-days for us. But Spring Break is a big deal for the those in school.
| Thing 1 and Thing 2 Heading toward Spring Break |
As Inga has known since Christmas, she will be getting a used car from her Grandparents in Montana handed down to her. Spring Break seemed like the best time for this new thing for Thing 1. The Grandparents drove their old Subaru to Eugene where they plied Inga and her friends with restaurant food over the weekend and then on Monday they went down to the DMV to transfer title and get Oregon plates on the car + an Oregon driver's license as one of her new accessories for the grown-up world.
First trip with the new wheels was to Silver Falls State Park with Sean and the Grandparents for a good day of high scenic value and Fred Myer Deli sandwich's. Can it get any better?
Rolling in largess and with her temporary license, Inga drove to the humble Eugene airport where she dropped of the travelers and kept their car and bid them well as they caught a plane to Seattle and then transferred on to Kalispell where the Senior Bus awaited their arrival and took them to their familiar doorstep and a garage now back to a reasonable population of the new Subaru and the dualie Dodge diesel pickup.
Thing 2 [Grant] had grandiose plans for his week off. Grant and his two apartment mates left Friday afternoon as soon as Thing 2's interview project with a Hall of Fame Hacky-Sacker was concluded, audio and video edited and turned in to the Journalism professor before Spring break. The 3 of them had the week ahead meticulously planned out, down to the mile and time. They would take Grant's Camry and drive all night to Port St. Lucie, Florida, while in their rearview mirror Columbia, MO was getting yet another dump of 6" of snow an windy frigid weather. The Florida Atlantic Coast was 80. Good choice.
The plan was not so much for the Spring Break beach party, but for the final week of Major League Baseball's Spring Training season. Sean is a huge NY Mets fan and so they hung out mostly around the Mets games as Sean's team developed their roster for the coming 2013 season. While sitting next to the bull pen, Grant scored a souvenir ball from Mets pitching coach, Ricky Bones. The three mates enjoyed the casual atmosphere and sunny weather around the stadium while exchanging banter with the ballplayers and former Mets pitcher and current commentator on the MLB Network, Al Leiter.
They did get to the beach a time or two and also drove to Miami's South Beach to check out the scene. A stop for Memphis-style ribs on the way home through Memphis, but alas, Grant has honed his skills on ballplayers and barbecue; and the verdict is:
1) the Mets will struggle again this year and
2) nothing is ever going to beat Texas barbecue.
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