Back to our normal chat board...

- I am so glad Lily and her friends decided to have a fun night for themselves. The pictures were cute and looked like they enjoyed themselves.

They really did have a great time!

Hope you had a wonderful mothers day, Kat!!

Lily, Izy, Akira and I went and grabbed ice cream before dinner, that was nice!

Eh maybe not wonderful, but I had a nice Mothers Day :) Katie and Wes had stopped by last weekend and they gave me this really old McDonalds cup for Mothers Day then, and when I woke up Sunday morning Nathan had left me a rose out on the table. So that was very sweet. I had a lot of people wish me Happy Mothers Day via text/messenger - including a mom of a student from LAST year, so that really melted my heart and made me feel good. And then I ordered Firehouse for dinner and NATHAN went to pick it up ;)

And I suppose you could say I treated myself - even though I did it on Saturday, not Sunday - I got my phone upgraded and bought a pretty butterfly case for it. In addition to the bazillion dollar tennis shoes and new prescription I picked up :P

Hey, treating yourself for Mothers Day is, I think, how most people do it haha.

What kind of phone did you get?

That sounds nice!

Well I have Verizon for my cell phone services. And they've been advertising an upgrade with a "free phone" for a while. So, I looked into it. I didn't actually get one completely free, since I am not on the "ultimate" plan, but I did get $650 credit which means only $5 added per month for a new phone (not bad!! - I need to go turn in my old phone lol) and I got another google pixel. I went from the google pixel 6 to the google pixel 9. And it was an ugly army case, a black otter box case, the butterfly case, or a clear case. I told the lady I didn't like the ugly green, didn't want the black thick otter box, and last time I got a clear case it turned yellow within a year. Ugh. She told me the new clear cases have something added to keep that from happening, but I went with the butterfly, hopefully it won't turn yellow (it's clear with butterflies on it lol - pink butterflies, and the phone I got is a peony pink!)

Oooh, that sounds pretty! And I went from the to the 9 in December, honestly not much of a difference, but I definitely like it!

Hi guys! Happy (late) Mother's day to you guys! I got a couple of wishes from residents at work and I didn't have the heart to correct them. Only a cat "mom"!

4 more days for me until the big graduation! :D I've had my HA in the appropriate colors :D I forget if we're allowed to share/link to pictures outside of pets? Otherwise I would share with you guys if you wanted to see the cap at least! :D

Ooh new phones! I remember having to adjust to a smart phone for the first time in 2016. That pink sounds so pretty! Mine is purple :D Mine is a S25 I think? Something Samsung.

You can totally be a cat mom Beth ;) And I'm glad you took it in the spirit intended. No reason to get upset over someone wishing you a good day!!

Yeah, I share photos from facebook on here sometimes, it should be fine. I'd love to see. Did you get to decorate your cap?? My daughter did, high school and college. I don't remember if she actually DID decorate her college cap, I know she did her high school - that was covid and there was so much chaos I think they did it to allow the kids some good things. Normally the high school won't let them decorate the caps.

I am thinking my google pixel 6 must have been maybe an xl size or something (I know they had a larger version of one or two of the phones I've had vs a regular one)? Or else the 9 is smaller than the 6. My new phone is slightly smaller than my old one lol So its been a bit of an adjustment, especially since I had to order the case, and am still waiting on it to arrive, so phone w/o case is even smaller yet!

We used to get samsungs all the time. But when the googles came out, we tried it, and I kinda like them. I think Nathan went back to a samsung.

445pm Whooo guys! I just got an email, I got hired for the PreK Summer Program, so I get to work this summer :P

YAY Beth! And yes, please share!

Congrats Kat! I'm trying to decide if I want to find a summer job for a few days a week for the 10 weeks we're out.. I'll be working Tuesday and Thursday from 9-12 at the church, but I could really use a few more hours. Not sure what I'll find that works with my schedule that will end up being much more than the $100 a week unemployment :/ Ughhhhh.

Hmm yeah, mine is pretty much the same size as Alex and Izys current 6s, so maybe you had an XL!

Hope this works! I had to size it down because it was from a camera, but https://imgur.com/bws9mIl has the full picture! (not BB code because it would be huge and I would get warned!)

Congrats on getting the job, Kat! That'll be nice to keep yourself busy and get some experience during the summer :D

Wow $100 a week isn't much at all Mieke! I would know because that was about all I made during the school year with working 5-6 days a paycheck. I hope you can find something soon!

Ohhh yay I love the photo Beth!!! What are the honor cords for???

Good luck mieke, in finding something. I've thought about a part time summer job for a few years but with college I decided I didn't want to try that...but since this is like a continuation of my regular job...lol rather than say going to the dollar general for work...I felt it would be good to try.

The blueish one is a philanthropy cord. Donate $20.25 (or more) to a chosen department at the university and you get the cord. I chose the music department of course because I have the ties to it. The maroon and gold one is First Generation. I'm the first of my (immediate) family to be graduating college because my parents did not. The maroon stands for courage, willpower, and strength (double for extra struggle symbolized), and the gold for prosperity, love, compassion, and wisdom!

The tassel and stole are generic though. Whew there's going to be somewhere around 800 of us per ceremony!! 2,451 between the three ceremonies (I only know this because I'm under this umbrella that encompasses 90 percent of all majors. They were trying to get us to get in name pronunciations for the person reading our names)

Whew sorry for the long rambling! I'm just excited to make it through college this time around.

Well you did make it, and I'm really happy for you :D That age group is fun. I know some still are attached to their moms/dads at that age, though. Since it's hard for them to understand that mommy/daddy is just dropping them off for a little while. I have seen it because I serve at church with the pre-schoolers.

Oh yes. The beginning of the year is awful like that, especially since parents want to stay to make sure their baby is ok and that actually makes their baby worse!! Lol Hopefully since this is a shorter session and most if not all of these kids will have already been in PreK, that won't be an issue.

Ahh I see. That's neat. I have no idea what, if anything I might get like that. My kids got the braided cord types in high school. I don't recall Katie getting any in college but maybe I just don't remember....

Here is my cap! :D The music sheet part is from September on the Mississippi, which my grandma loved to hear my aunt and my mom and I play!

Yes, hopefully it IS easier for you since these kids should have been through it before now. You never know, though!

I hope you get something fun, or get to decorate your cap! :D It's such a big day!

I'll be nervous around all of those people for sure!

I honestly am not sure I even want to walk, but my dad wants to come see me, and my daughter (Katie) said she wanted to see me do it too - soooooo I guess maybe I can do that. That cap is so something my daughter would do lol She was in chorus (and has been singing since she was like 2!) and she loves art too - Its beautiful!!

Oooh guys. BABY!!! My nephew told me a couple months ago his girlfriend was expecting...Well she had the baby Monday and he just sent me photos - awwwwww And yep. He kept the oddball name tradition alive, though this child's name isn't QUITE as oddball as what my brother did to his kids (my nephews dad). LOL Anyway, baby was born May 12, was almost 9lbs! (and two weeks early!!) and is named Maximus. - Maximus Robert Blade (yes, three names, plus the last name after that). The kids dad (my nephew) is Blade Retlaw Duex (plus last name). Apparently Robert is for her dad, and Blades name got put in the mix too. I might see if I can try and get down there over the summer to visit. A long weekend or something.

Aw yeah it's a great thing for the parent(s) to come see :D Next year by this time, you'll be graduated and certified both! :D

Thanks! My aunt did most of it and my mom touched up the rest and put it on :D I chose the quote and music and my mom and aunt used their crafty skills :D For me, my parents are coming as well as my aunt and uncle!

Aww congrats to them! :D That sounds like a long name for sure! Maximus reminds me of the horse from Rapunzel! And wow that's a pretty big baby for a little early! So close to being a Mother's Day blessing :D

My dad graduated college, and my oldest brother did. I don't think any of the grandkids had until Katie (on my side - I know my stepsister and her kid did, but we don't KNOW them, only my dad does)...so I would be the 2nd kid and like 4th person to graduate college in my family. I know my mom did nursing stuff, but I don't know if she ever graduated with anything or what. I know all of them would be/will be excited for me and a lot of them would come. But its also going to be around the same time as Katies planning her wedding - the spring next year - she hasn't set an exact date and trying to get out here for 2 events will be a lot for my dad, not that he WON'T be able to, but it will be a lot for him. Guess that will be up to him to decide. I am sure Mercer will do live-stream like all the other graduations lately :P

Goofy's kid came to mind for me when I heard the baby name. hahahahaha bad aunty. I don't remember if thats actually Goofy's kids name, he goes by Max - I know its short for something And so I also wonder if they'll call him (the baby) Max. I would :P But some people want to use full names. And even when you choose a name that is HARD to shorten, it gets shortened anyway. Or lengthened HAHAHAH! My son is Shane - my brother calls him Shane-o-mack. Katie is actually Kaitlyn, but I wanted her called Katie, NOT Kate, and now some people call her Kate sigh. And Nathan, I thought about Nathaniel but didn't want it shortened to Nate or Nat. So went with Nathan. Yea. Some people call him Nate sigh

Maxs full name is Maximillian Goof. Which is a thing I just know, for some reason.

CONGRATS BETH! And I LOVE your cap, the sheet music being actual sheet music is so heartwarming, too!

Also, guys, I can't even begin to IMAGINE ceremonies that long. Are they in like.. a sports arena?! 800 people wouldn't even fit at the colleges football field here..

Ooh yea. Katies college graduation was pretty long, not forever tho because while it started at like 2 with all the speeches, it was done at like 5 or so - and they had a TON of graduates too - they were doing double duty. So like one guy on one side and one guy on another, and alternating names (Jane Doe, pause, John Smith etc), two graduates walk up at a time, shake h and etc, get off stage. So it went fairly quickly for all there were SO MANY graduates! They did do it at the college football stadium but its a VERY big school, so its a big stadium. I think I recall my dad or brothers graduation being inside some building, like an auditorium? But it had a LOT of seats, almost wraparound like a stadium

Tomorrow is field day for lower grades (PK-2) at school (today was upper grades (3-5) - Imma be exhauuuusted tomorrow afternoon. Field "day" lasts from 830am to 1130am. I want to completely skip the final zone as the timing sucks for us - its from 1030-1130 and our lunch is at 1045-1115 and our italian ice time is 1120....so like yeah, why bother to even attempt the final zone?

I am debating guys - so the daycare center I chose, the director agreed and seemed happy to do the practicum, I took the paper to her MONTHS ago (think, February!!) to be filled out, I've stopped in several times a month to see if she has done so (and left my name/number for her to let me know when she DID fill it out, but then stopped by when she never contacted me), and this last week when I stopped by the lady asked me to CALL before I came to pick up the paper - I mean, lady you've had it for months already, why isn't it filled out? But Ok. I called and it rang off the wall, and then got a dial/busy tone. HUH? So I am debating, should I just go find a different childcare center to ask to do the practicum at?

I think I'd just go and ask someone else, because she's really not doing anything to actually help?

And that still seems crazy to me haha. I know there's a high school here that actually goes to an arena, since there's so many of them and so many.. watchers? I can't think of the right word.

How did field day go?

Had a busy few days.. Wednesday was Izys concert (and Lily helped out and also played with the fifth graders), Thursday night we went to the elementary school art show (Iz won a perler bead set from the raffle!), and then straight to Lilys choral concert (where she played the djembe for three songs!), and then Friday we got to the school at 6:30 am for a field trip. On a bus for 3 hours where it was kind of sticky and uncomfortable but not bad.. they did music workshops at Messiah University (which was actually really cool to watch, not least because I never get to SEE percussion play, they're always in the back!), and then a half hour ride to Hershey that was HORRENDOUS, the AC wasn't working the little air blowy vent things on the ceiling weren't working either. Hershey park was fun, we were there for 5 hours. My friend Amber and I, and Lily and one of her friends went to ZooAmerica as soon as we got there, and we did end up switching kids in and out of our group all day lol. But oh my goodness there was a CRAZY storm, thankfully Amber, Lily and I were in chocolateworld at the time and completely covered, a Remind went out before the storm that an employee had told everyone to seek shelter and that any kids found to be completely soaked would be given detention when they got back o.O But anyway, we were safe and fine :P

BUT. OH MY GOD. The 2.5 hour ride home. AWFUL. It was still 93 degrees on the bus, at least they got the air vents fixed but basically everyone was feeling sick by the time we finally got home. Like.. it was an AWFUL experience on the bus. HORRENDOUS. Got back to the school at 11pm btw, so also a VERY long day LOL. It was fun, though!

And today.. getting stuff done and yelling at my kids because they're HORRENDOUS and they need to just.. pick up after themselves? Like.. com'n guys, you're BIG NOW. ADULTS, in one case!