This past Wednesday, I went on my one millionth college visit...this time with Kacie. Well, technically, that's an exaggeration. But over the past two years, I have been to tons of college campuses for various reasons...most of them related to volleyball in some form or fashion.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy visiting schools with Katie and Kacie, and two years ago, visiting NC State for the first time with Kyle. But really, there is only so much visiting you can do before you realize all the colleges tell you the same thing...just at a different campus, with different weather, and a different admissions counselor and tour guide. Most of the time, the twins have had a volleyball tryout, which usually lasts about two hours. I sit and watch while the twins show those coaches their "stuff." It's fun, but it has been an exhausting year.
Katie settled on Gardner-Webb late last summer. The coach offered her spot on his volleyball team. I was very pleased with the program he is running there, and I like the fact that he is a Christian and encourages his girls to pursue bible study. They are involved in community service activities, and he makes sure their grades are good. He doesn't babysit the girls, but he has high expectations of them. The school's campus is beautiful, but not too big. The town is small (really, the University is the town), and it has this wonderful charm. Katie loved it instantly. Katie is still pretty undecided about what she wants to do for a career, but she is leaning towards nursing, and GW has a great program for that.
Kacie has taken a little longer to make a decision. Initially, it was Brevard, but we decided to look at other schools to see if we could get some money for volleyball. We visited Lenoir-Rhyne, which Kacie liked, and the coach offered her a spot, but she decided not to go there. We didn't feel like Kacie would get much playing time, so that was kind-of a deciding factor. We set up a visit at Montreat, but then they started having financial problems, so we nixed it. So she settled on Brevard again. Then, the coach sends Kacie an e-mail, saying her roster is full. Kacie felt like the rug had been jerked out from under her. Luckily, the coach was nice enough to forward Kacie's information on to Catawba Valley Community College's volleyball coach. The coach contacted Kacie, and we set up the visit for April 4th. Kacie loved the campus. It's a unique community college, in that they have varsity sports teams and dorms available for students. I have a feeling in the next few years, they will become a four year college. We met the volleyball coach and her assistant, and they were both so great! Very funny and welcoming. Kacie had her tryout and it went very well. We should know in a couple of weeks whether or not she will be playing volleyball there. But Kacie has decided, volleyball or not, that she wants to go to CVCC, which I am thrilled with!
So both my baby sisters have made their decisions about college. I am so proud of them for taking their time and making good decisions for themselves. They have grown into beautiful, smart, funny young women. You just can't help but love them. I can't believe they are getting ready to go off to college and become adults. Even though they are only my sisters, it is so hard to let them go, and to trust that they will be okay, and make the right decisions. I know they will...it's just so hard to think of them as being on their own. Tommy, Kyle, and I have always been fiercely protective of our baby sisters, and I know at times it really gets on their nerves. But I guess that's just part of being the babies of the family.
My suggestion to you, if you are a parent, is to start visiting college campuses WAY before senior year....like when your kids are a freshman in high school. And actually, if your kids go to MEC, we go visit colleges twice a year (we've been to Chapel Hill, Duke, UNC-C, NC State, Wake Forest, High Point, UNC-A, WCU, Clemson, UGA, Johnson and Wales, and many more). It gets kids the exposure they need, and gets them thinking about colleges way before they get ready to go. And also, encourage independence in your high schooler. Make sure they can do their own laundry, cook a decent meal, grocery shop effectively, change a tire, check the oil in their car, put water in their car, use a debit card. Teach them to drive a stick shift (you never know what kind of situation they may end up in at college). Have them get a job (if possible). Teach them to manage money, on a budget.
I guess all of that seems sort-of...well, DUH! But it's so easy to do all this stuff for your kid, instead of "making" them do it. Trust me, I know. My sisters still have a little ways to go to get ready for college, but they are almost there.
Most importantly, love them while their still at home. Teenagers are a pain the butt...I know. And there will be days you want to beat them senseless (although I suggest refraining from doing that). They will push you to the limit of your sanity. But once they go to school, you will miss all that. And they will be so busy, with studying and socializing, and doing the college "thing," you probably won't get to talk to them as much as you want. You will miss them. I miss Kyle a lot, although I make it a point to call or e-mail once a week. And I know I will miss Katie and Kacie. I try to tell myself that every time they try to argue to extend their curfew 30 more minutes, or leave their dirty clothes in the bathroom after I've told them 1000 times not to. Because this Fall, when they're gone, and my house is clean all the time, and laundry is always caught up, I will miss the mess, and the chaos, of my teenage sisters.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
My Students On an Average Day, Part 2
And here it is again! A lot of people told me they got a good kick out of "My Students on an Average Day" so I decided that this should be a regular thing. This was over the course of a couple of days that I heard all this stuff. I usually hear more in one day, but I was busy teaching (you know, doing my job), so I didn't pay as close attention as I did the first time. Nonetheless, I wrote down what I could! So here is Part 2. Again, some of it is crude, some of it is funny, and some of it is downright weird. I hope you enjoy!
"Look, Atlantis!"
"Look, Atlantis!"
"We’re playing the backwards version, and I don’t like it."
"Assume the position!"
"You know that whole 'Jesus Saves' thing? Well, I forgot to save."
"Epic door open. Walk in. Stumble."
"I need to borrow the scissors...::dramatic pause::...so I can kill someone."
"Clearly, he's crying like a little girl."
::stroking face in deep thought:: "So technically, they could be lying."
"I don't want to be the bigger person."
"I used to be good at basketball, then I turned brown."
"Like a boss!"
"Your self-esteem will go down the longer you are in this class."
"Mrs. Reynolds, we don't mean to make you want to quit teaching."
"I told you, I am Mercutio, and you are Tybalt."
"What, do you hate me or something? Is that what you are laughing about?"
"This is depressing." "What is?" "My life."
"It's because I'm Mexican, isn't it?" "You're white, dude."
"Have you ever looked at your cat and wondered what it tastes like?"
"If guys can't do it, girls shouldn't either."
"You know that whole 'Jesus Saves' thing? Well, I forgot to save."
"Epic door open. Walk in. Stumble."
"I need to borrow the scissors...::dramatic pause::...so I can kill someone."
"Clearly, he's crying like a little girl."
::stroking face in deep thought:: "So technically, they could be lying."
"I don't want to be the bigger person."
"I used to be good at basketball, then I turned brown."
"Like a boss!"
"Your self-esteem will go down the longer you are in this class."
"Mrs. Reynolds, we don't mean to make you want to quit teaching."
"I told you, I am Mercutio, and you are Tybalt."
"What, do you hate me or something? Is that what you are laughing about?"
"This is depressing." "What is?" "My life."
"It's because I'm Mexican, isn't it?" "You're white, dude."
"Have you ever looked at your cat and wondered what it tastes like?"
"If guys can't do it, girls shouldn't either."
"You're the only guy in this group,
and we don't agree with you, so shut up."
"We should be called the Care
Bears.
"Why?"
"Because we care."
"Why?"
"Because we care."
"We had a Hitler baby. His
name was Adolph."
"Our slogan should be "Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it."
"Our slogan should be "Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it."
"How
do I know you don't have some brainwashing scheme going on here?"
"I used to be cool, then you were born."
“There’s a 30% chance of rain today.”
“Did you just re-enact the movie Mean Girls?”
“::laughs out loud::: Yes.”
“Did you just re-enact the movie Mean Girls?”
“::laughs out loud::: Yes.”
“Can I have a noodle?” “No, it’s my noodle.”
“I am Batman.”
“Honey, why is the baby on fire?”
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Tommy
Tomorrow, my brother Tommy is moving to Florida. He decided to do this a few months ago, and went through the process of trying to find a job, and setting up a place to live until he can find something more permanent. I am so happy for Tommy, but I am also a little sad. This will really be the first time that the five of us Peck kids will not have a permanent residence in the same town. Of course, Kyle is in Raleigh for most of the year, but at this point, he still calls Franklin home, and do the twins and I. But Tommy is pulling up roots here, and planting them again in Florida.
There is almost no memory I have, growing up, that doesn't include Tommy. He was born when I was 17 months old. Mom used to tell me I was pretty jealous of him when he was born. I didn't like this new kid who took a lot of the attention that used to be focused on me. But I think I came around pretty quickly. Tommy was my first sibling, my first playmate, and really, probably my first friend. We did EVERYTHING together. We played on the same t-ball team when we were both old enough to start. Dad made me wait a year to get my First Communion, so Tommy would be old enough to do it too. We enjoyed the same sports, the same food. Until we were about 18 and 17 respectively, we pretty much shared the same friends, too. We learned to drive together, making circles around our neighborhood in Dad's jeep. We fought almost constantly from the ages of 8-12. We mastered the art of "silent fighting" so Mom wouldn't hear us, and so we wouldn't get in trouble. We teased each other constantly, but we also wouldn't let anyone else do that to the other.
Tommy and I shared a room until I was probably 7. And even then, after we moved to Durham, I slept in Tommy and Kyle's room with them until I was 10 or 11. There was comfort in that. Every night, we would lay down on the bottom bunk of their bunk beds. Tommy against the wall, Kyle in the middle, and me on the outside. We would lay there and say our prayers, out loud, together. It almost had a rhythm to it. We would say "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord, my soul to take." We would then proceed to ask God to bless every single family member friend, pet, acquaintance, and stranger we could think of. "God bless Nanny, God bless Papa, God bless Lady, and Sadie, and Hunter. God bless Grandma, Grandpa, Holly, Amy, Kelly"....you get the picture. We always saved our family for last. (Just FYI, Lady, Sadie, and Hunter were my Nanny and Papa's dogs lol). "God bless Mommy and Daddy, Meghan, Tommy, Kyle, and Bingo." Of course, later, we added Katie and Kacie to the list as well. We said those prayers every single night, out loud and together. Thinking back, it was really sweet, and it was our private little ritual before going to sleep.
In the summer, we played outside everyday together. I made him play "My Little Pony" and we used birthday party hats on the front of our heads so we would look like unicorns. We played "football player and cheerleader." I was the football player, Tommy the cheerleader (mostly because I made him do it). We made our own restaurant in the backyard, using our air conditioning unit top to "grill" leaves so they looked like they had char marks, and adding wild onions and whatever else we could find to fill the leaf burritos. We tried to set up a lemonade stand, and I'm pretty sure Mom was our only customer for the whole week. We played pirates with our neighbors. We rode our go cart for hours. We played hot box, and one-on-one basketball.
I remember one time, Tommy and I were in elementary school in Durham. We went to this before-school program because our parents had to be at work earlier than our school started. I think we were doing our geography activity one morning. Mrs. Roberts, the director, asked Tommy a question, and Tommy didn't know the answer. Mrs. Roberts started belittling Tommy, and basically calling him stupid. I got SO ANGRY! I stood up and looked at Mrs. Roberts and said, "Shut up and leave him alone! He doesn't know, so ask somebody else!" I had tears running down my face, I was so angry. She just looked at me. She didn't know what to say. I was kind-of surprised at myself. I had never yelled at an adult before. I actually never got in trouble for that, but I will always remember that feeling of her being so mean, and thinking how wrong it was. Plus, she was messing with my brother.
As we got older, we still remained best of friends. My dad started to drink more, and was pretty mean to Tommy at times. I wish now I had stuck up for him more, instead of being grateful that it wasn't me. I feel like maybe Dad would have listened to me. I feel guilty about that a lot. But Tommy got through it.
When we moved to Franklin, Tommy was so happy. It's where he'd always wanted to be. He made TONS of friends quickly, while I struggled through the next three years of high school. Tommy and I had sort-of traded places. I had always been the one with lots of friends, places to go, people to see. But now, Tommy was that person. I was happy for him, and glad that he was finally showing everyone who he was, the person I had always known. That continues today. Tommy is so out-going, and friendly, and everyone loves him. And I'm so proud of that.
When our dad died, we were all so shocked and upset. Tommy was a junior in high school, and I was a senior. I remember, the night after we found out dad died, Tommy knocked on my door really late. He was upset and crying, as I was. He asked if he could sleep in my room that night. And of course, I said yes. No matter that we were nearly grown, we knew we could count on each other to be there.
As kids do as they grow up, Tommy and I drifted apart some, especially after I started dating Mark. I was so wrapped up in him, I kinda forgot about everyone else. Mark and I got married, and Tommy and Kyle walked me down the aisle. That was such a special moment. Not quite a year later, Mom passed away. We all pulled closer than we ever had. Tommy and I had our moments, over that next year. We had a lot of decisions to make, and that sometimes brought a lot of tension. We were also angry that Mom was gone, sad, depressed, in shock. We really weren't ourselves for several months after Mom died. We always knew though, that we all had each other. I learned to shut my mouth and not take my anger out on Tommy. And he did the same. I think Tommy and I are closer than we have been in a long time.
So here we are, at a moment where we won't see each other every day, or even once a week, for lunch at Nanny's. Tommy will be 12 hours away, with my dad's side of the family. He will work at an office I'm not familiar with, go to restaurants I don't frequent, make friends with people I've never heard of...all of these things are good things. But it's uncharted territory for me and Tommy. I've always known exactly who he was around and what he was doing, where. That will change now. And I guess, as a big sister, that bothers me a little. And I will definitely miss him. But it's okay. He's starting a new chapter, and I am so happy for him.
I'm really writing all this down for myself, and for Tommy. I'm so very proud of Tommy for taking this step. It's brave and mature. I don't think I could do it...leave my family I've spent the last 11 years with to start a new job, live in a new place. He's doing it all by himself. I mean, sure, my dad's family is down there, and we are close to them too, but still. Tommy has recognized that Franklin is holding him back. He's made the best friends he's ever had here. He had his first serious dates here. He went to his first parties and had his first drink here. He graduated from high school, and college, here. He started his first "real" job here. He grew into a man here.
Now, he will have other firsts in a new "here." I think he has made the best decision he could ever make for himself. And even though that means I am not going to get to see him as often, I'm okay with that. Because he's still my brother, and he's still my best friend. And I know that, no matter where he moves, or what happens in life, that will never change. Congratulations Tommy! I love you brother.
P.S.
You better get a house big enough for us to stay with you when we come visit! :)
There is almost no memory I have, growing up, that doesn't include Tommy. He was born when I was 17 months old. Mom used to tell me I was pretty jealous of him when he was born. I didn't like this new kid who took a lot of the attention that used to be focused on me. But I think I came around pretty quickly. Tommy was my first sibling, my first playmate, and really, probably my first friend. We did EVERYTHING together. We played on the same t-ball team when we were both old enough to start. Dad made me wait a year to get my First Communion, so Tommy would be old enough to do it too. We enjoyed the same sports, the same food. Until we were about 18 and 17 respectively, we pretty much shared the same friends, too. We learned to drive together, making circles around our neighborhood in Dad's jeep. We fought almost constantly from the ages of 8-12. We mastered the art of "silent fighting" so Mom wouldn't hear us, and so we wouldn't get in trouble. We teased each other constantly, but we also wouldn't let anyone else do that to the other.
Tommy and I shared a room until I was probably 7. And even then, after we moved to Durham, I slept in Tommy and Kyle's room with them until I was 10 or 11. There was comfort in that. Every night, we would lay down on the bottom bunk of their bunk beds. Tommy against the wall, Kyle in the middle, and me on the outside. We would lay there and say our prayers, out loud, together. It almost had a rhythm to it. We would say "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord, my soul to take." We would then proceed to ask God to bless every single family member friend, pet, acquaintance, and stranger we could think of. "God bless Nanny, God bless Papa, God bless Lady, and Sadie, and Hunter. God bless Grandma, Grandpa, Holly, Amy, Kelly"....you get the picture. We always saved our family for last. (Just FYI, Lady, Sadie, and Hunter were my Nanny and Papa's dogs lol). "God bless Mommy and Daddy, Meghan, Tommy, Kyle, and Bingo." Of course, later, we added Katie and Kacie to the list as well. We said those prayers every single night, out loud and together. Thinking back, it was really sweet, and it was our private little ritual before going to sleep.
In the summer, we played outside everyday together. I made him play "My Little Pony" and we used birthday party hats on the front of our heads so we would look like unicorns. We played "football player and cheerleader." I was the football player, Tommy the cheerleader (mostly because I made him do it). We made our own restaurant in the backyard, using our air conditioning unit top to "grill" leaves so they looked like they had char marks, and adding wild onions and whatever else we could find to fill the leaf burritos. We tried to set up a lemonade stand, and I'm pretty sure Mom was our only customer for the whole week. We played pirates with our neighbors. We rode our go cart for hours. We played hot box, and one-on-one basketball.
I remember one time, Tommy and I were in elementary school in Durham. We went to this before-school program because our parents had to be at work earlier than our school started. I think we were doing our geography activity one morning. Mrs. Roberts, the director, asked Tommy a question, and Tommy didn't know the answer. Mrs. Roberts started belittling Tommy, and basically calling him stupid. I got SO ANGRY! I stood up and looked at Mrs. Roberts and said, "Shut up and leave him alone! He doesn't know, so ask somebody else!" I had tears running down my face, I was so angry. She just looked at me. She didn't know what to say. I was kind-of surprised at myself. I had never yelled at an adult before. I actually never got in trouble for that, but I will always remember that feeling of her being so mean, and thinking how wrong it was. Plus, she was messing with my brother.
As we got older, we still remained best of friends. My dad started to drink more, and was pretty mean to Tommy at times. I wish now I had stuck up for him more, instead of being grateful that it wasn't me. I feel like maybe Dad would have listened to me. I feel guilty about that a lot. But Tommy got through it.
When we moved to Franklin, Tommy was so happy. It's where he'd always wanted to be. He made TONS of friends quickly, while I struggled through the next three years of high school. Tommy and I had sort-of traded places. I had always been the one with lots of friends, places to go, people to see. But now, Tommy was that person. I was happy for him, and glad that he was finally showing everyone who he was, the person I had always known. That continues today. Tommy is so out-going, and friendly, and everyone loves him. And I'm so proud of that.
When our dad died, we were all so shocked and upset. Tommy was a junior in high school, and I was a senior. I remember, the night after we found out dad died, Tommy knocked on my door really late. He was upset and crying, as I was. He asked if he could sleep in my room that night. And of course, I said yes. No matter that we were nearly grown, we knew we could count on each other to be there.
As kids do as they grow up, Tommy and I drifted apart some, especially after I started dating Mark. I was so wrapped up in him, I kinda forgot about everyone else. Mark and I got married, and Tommy and Kyle walked me down the aisle. That was such a special moment. Not quite a year later, Mom passed away. We all pulled closer than we ever had. Tommy and I had our moments, over that next year. We had a lot of decisions to make, and that sometimes brought a lot of tension. We were also angry that Mom was gone, sad, depressed, in shock. We really weren't ourselves for several months after Mom died. We always knew though, that we all had each other. I learned to shut my mouth and not take my anger out on Tommy. And he did the same. I think Tommy and I are closer than we have been in a long time.
So here we are, at a moment where we won't see each other every day, or even once a week, for lunch at Nanny's. Tommy will be 12 hours away, with my dad's side of the family. He will work at an office I'm not familiar with, go to restaurants I don't frequent, make friends with people I've never heard of...all of these things are good things. But it's uncharted territory for me and Tommy. I've always known exactly who he was around and what he was doing, where. That will change now. And I guess, as a big sister, that bothers me a little. And I will definitely miss him. But it's okay. He's starting a new chapter, and I am so happy for him.
I'm really writing all this down for myself, and for Tommy. I'm so very proud of Tommy for taking this step. It's brave and mature. I don't think I could do it...leave my family I've spent the last 11 years with to start a new job, live in a new place. He's doing it all by himself. I mean, sure, my dad's family is down there, and we are close to them too, but still. Tommy has recognized that Franklin is holding him back. He's made the best friends he's ever had here. He had his first serious dates here. He went to his first parties and had his first drink here. He graduated from high school, and college, here. He started his first "real" job here. He grew into a man here.
Now, he will have other firsts in a new "here." I think he has made the best decision he could ever make for himself. And even though that means I am not going to get to see him as often, I'm okay with that. Because he's still my brother, and he's still my best friend. And I know that, no matter where he moves, or what happens in life, that will never change. Congratulations Tommy! I love you brother.
P.S.
You better get a house big enough for us to stay with you when we come visit! :)
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