Howdy!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took our oldest daughter (8th grader) to a college preview day at Texas A&M University in College Station.  Now before you think we're pushing college too early in our home, let me preface this by saying she decided several years ago where she wanted to go to college.  This trip was to help her have a better understanding of what courses she would want to take in high school to be prepared for whatever she pursues in college.

I think I did most of the learning that day, though.  Here's a few things I discovered:

1.      Don’t wear maroon if you want to be picked out of a crowd.  When we got separated from my husband in the school of engineering, I told my daughter to look for him in his maroon Texas A&M sweatshirt.  It was then that I realized, in the sea of maroon and white, that I could've worn my green UNT shirt so he could find us.  

2.      Don’t be the one leading the way to a building if you are directionally challenged.  I should’ve forced one of the other two members of my party to do this, so we could’ve avoided the phrase “you just took us in a big circle.”

3.      When someone says “Howdy!” to you on campus, the correct response to give is “howdy” not “hi.”  Yes, I was ignorant of this, and no, it won’t happen again.  I think I embarrassed my husband more than my daughter.

And most importantly -   

4.      It will take at least four years for me to get myself ready to let her go.  College Station is a pretty good drive from our home, so I have a few more years to persuade her to choose my alma mater.  It’s less than an hour and a half away.