Well, its very quiet in the house

and boy, its weird. Not that its normally that noisy but usually, I am thinking at this time in the day, need to get things done, Emily will be home from school soon but today the first only person back, will be Gordon at 5.35pm approx ( I look forward to him as well lol).

We took Emily up to Denton (210 miles each way) on Sunday and it was a mad house when we arrived. We quickly went up to her room which we were relieved to find was quite spacious for 2 people sharing and light. I think we were half expecting it to be like Elisabeth's first dorm room which was far from spacious and very dark, which made us feel depressed even more than Elisabeth, I think. Emily's roommate had already arrived (although she wasn't there at the time) and everything was neatly in order. By the time, we left, Emily had unpacked and although everything had a place, it had a definite Emily feeling to it, chaotic order.

Emily's friend from school had arrived a few hours earlier and quickly came over to inspect the quarters. Once Emily had unpacked we went to have dinner with Emily's friend and her family. All too soon it was time to leave. We had done very well up that point but then the tears came (all of us). It was definitely the hardest parting we have had with any of the kids and I was in tears until way beyond Fort Worth and if I thought about her, the tears would quickly spring in my eyes.

I spoke to her a few times yesterday and she seems to be settling in well, although for the first night she stayed in Brooke's dorm room. Apparently, her room-mate who hails from Fort Worth, didn't come back so she didn't want to spend her first night alone.

Emily when we first arrived in Austin in 2000.


On Saturday, she turns 18 and it will be strange not be with her for such an important birthday. I am sure I will be on the phone lots for the next few days but once her classes start on next Monday, she will be on her way to a successful life.




Emily Now.

The Weekend was a blur

On Saturday, we were up at 5.00am to travel up to Denton which is northwest of Dallas. We left about 5.45 and arrived in Denton about 9.45, with short coffee break, just outside Forth Worth.

The reason for our trip, is that Emily has applied to the University of North Texas, starting next August, so she was attending the preview day. Next on the agenda, if she is successful, will be a three day orientation in the early spring. At the moment, she toying between doing photography or mathematics as a major. It's a very nice looking university having been established in the late 1800's, so is mix of traditional looking older buildings and the new buildings as it is like all American Universities, expanding rapidly.

We started with a general welcome from 5 members of the University faculty, then various faculty depts were called out and depending on the major you wanted to studied, you followed a student to where the academic advising session was being held. We went to the Science one where they had a very informed session on what to expect if you were planning on doing Pre-med, health Professions or Mathematics.

After that we toured one of the housing units which wasn't really Emily's cup of tea as it meant sharing a very, very small room with one other student and sharing a shower with the adjoining room. I can imagine most modern kids being taken totally aback sharing such a small area with a total stranger.

We followed that with a brief visit to the academics fair where Emily managed to get more detailed information on doing a math or photography major and then we were heading back to Austin, arriving back just after 6pm.

After cooking dinner, which Elisabeth, who had come home for the day to look after the cats and dog, had started for us, I had to make a decision whether to sleep or tough it out. Why, you may ask, because I had to be at work by 2 am. I tried to sleep but as usual failed miserably.

It was weird leaving the house at 1.30am in the morning, with Gordon and Emily asleep. Working was a tedious as I thought it would be. There is no art in the practice of taking down 'sale' signs only to put up more 'sale' signs. Safe to say it was long,long night and I was only too glad to be out of there at 9.21am. I was very tire by then and felt sure I would sleep but all I managed was a miserable hour or so before I was up again, despite the house being very quite, as Gordon had thoughtfully removed himself to other parts of the house and Emily was working.

So I have today off which so far I have totally wasted and then tomorrow I am in again from 7am, a much more sensible time. Apart from the Thursday, rest of the week is 1pm - 10pm as there are 3 ads coming out this week! All this for a paltry $8 an hour, still its better than the nothing I was getting.

At least my Mum should be happy, I have fulfilled her dreams. When I was at my last school, I mentioned I was considering going to teacher's training college and her reply was "I would rather you worked at a Woolworth's than become a teacher. No daughter of mine is becoming a teacher!" and she promptly withdrew me from school. Well, its not "Woolies" but its near enough. I don't actually think she meant me to fulfil her 'dream' it just she saw all the possibilities that lay in private companies and to become a teacher wasn't ambitious enough, she just had an unfortunate way of saying it.