It’s time for “What’s New Wednesday” again. This week, I get to share a personal victory, a family dilemma, and a decision that needs to be made. I also read a fun book to share with you. This post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure page for details.
A Personal Victory
If you know me or have read some of my past posts, you’ll know I sometimes struggle with anxiety. This weekend, I traveled with my 17-year-old daughter to Bellingham, Washington to visit Western Washington University. She has been accepted to 6 universities and is trying to decide where she wants to be next year. My personal victory is that I arranged all the travel plans, flew on the plane (thanks Alaska Airlines!), rented the car (thanks Dollar Rental) and drove the 90 miles from Seattle to Bellingham with minimal anxiety. We checked in to our hotel (TownePlace Suites by Marriott) and found our way around the town and to the university. The return trip was just as uneventful. I did it! And the only time we got lost was in the university library! Seriously, is there a better place to get lost? I don’t think so.
Doing things I’ve never done, relying on people I don’t know, and going to new places are all triggers for my anxiety. And I handled it all very well this weekend. We had fun, relaxed, laughed, and ate some great food. For a more thorough review of the trip, look here.
Next week, we’re doing it all over again. This time, we’re headed for Portland, driving to Salem and visiting Willamette University. I am already a little nervous, but my success last weekend has built up my confidence.
A Family Dilemma
Last week, I shared a photo of our newest family member, a rescue dog we named Penny. She’s is such a fun little dog. We are totally in love with her already. The dilemma is, we have been considering adopting a second dog. This second dog is very shy and timid, much like our old dog, Lily, was when we first got her. We are hoping that being around Penny with help the next new dog.
The dilemma is do we have the time and money for another dog right now? I know we have the love to give. We are all a little puppy crazy in this house. But I just paid my taxes, am taking two trips, registering kids for school, and the money is suddenly a little tighter. We met this dog (currently called Jasmine) and we all loved her. In fact, my oldest daughter said she’d rather have Jasmine than a new car (and she really needs a newer car).
I am setting up a play date for Jasmine and Penny. They should be able to meet this Friday. I hope this will tell us whether or not they’d be a good fit together. I’ll keep you posted.
The Big Decision
My daughter has until May 1 to decide which university she will attend next year. She has two that are within an hour or so of home. One that is more like 4 hours away. Another that is 8 hours by car. And two universities that are out of state, but not more than 800 or so miles from home. She has eliminated two colleges because of the lack of scholarship and grant money they’ve offered. What a practical girl! You’ve got to love that in a teenager. But she has no idea which of the others is the “right” one. We still have to visit Willamette and UCSB. Maybe one of those visits will spark something. She is also still waiting for the financial aid packets from a couple of schools. That may help to shorten her list as well.
I know she is lucky to have so many choices. She worked hard in high school (and still is!) and that led her to have more options to choose from. Her older sister chose a school 2400 miles away from home and it didn’t go very well. She’s home now, recuperating and trying to decide what’s next. So, I have a little anxiety in regards to this big decision. I just want her to pick a place where she will be happy and find some success. I honestly don’t care how prestigious the college is or even how far from home. She just needs to be comfortable with her choice. It reminds me that you are only as happy as your unhappiest child.
A Book Recommendation
I spent four hours on flights this weekend and another four or so in airports waiting for those flights. It was a great time to read another fun book. This time I read The Rosie Project: A Novel
And that was my week. My son is off at 6th grade science camp. The house has been much quieter without an 11-year-old boy stomping about and playing video games. Next Wednesday, I’ll cover his adventures if I can get him to tell me much more than “It was okay.” Perhaps we’ll have solved the family dilemma by then, but I doubt Middle Child will have made her decision. That will be for another What’s New Wednesday report.
What’s new with you? Share in the comments and thanks for reading!
