Well...the trip had not turned out quite as I planned. I hardly spent any time with Will :( He was busy starting his new adventure and I was there to listen to boring sessions about so many details I can't possibly remember them all! And, another full day of listening on Sunday.
How is it possible my baby boy is 18, 6'1" and all grown up??? It seems like only yesterday I was holding him...and he was shorter than I was. I look like a dwarf next to him in the pics. I know all the parents reading this blog can empathize.
So... while I was having my pity party for myself... I remembered that I read smiling makes you happier. Actually forcing yourself to smile. So did that last night and it worked. The thought of what I looked like with a forced goofy grin on my face made me laugh. Pity party over! Until Aug 25th when I travel back to NOLA to help Will start his adventure.
"It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see
what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do
with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is
reach for it, myself."~Joyce Maynard
On to a lighter note...
I had planned to stay on campus in the dorm rooms. Seemed like a good idea when I made the reservations...but what was I thinking!!! Will and I walked into the dorm room I was supposed to share and said "Really Mom?". Plastic pillows...prisonlike bed...dingy bathroom...and no TV. I hardly ever turn on the TV but I would need one if I stayed there. Needless to say, I checked into a hotel in the French Quarter instead. Ritz same price as the Hilton...hmmmm...let me think about it... Ritz Carlton please! Great jazz band playing when I checked in. So much better than the dorms!
I started to wonder...what is the etymology of the Big Easy (my big word for the day!). I've been called "Question Girl" recently and thanks to Google, the Internet and my Iphone...the answers are always at my fingertips. If only my parents had access to this technology when I was growing up I might not have been as exasperating!
According to "WiseGeek" "Another possible origin for the nickname of the Big Easy is connected to the relaxed attitude toward alcohol consumption that was found in New Orleans, even during the days of Prohibition. La Nouvelle-Orleans, perhaps more than any other city, continued to enjoy an active night life that offered everything from bathtub gins to the finest wines. Anyone who wanted to enjoy a drink or two could easily find something to his or her liking among the many nightspots of New Orleans. Thus, the Big Easy could have referred to the great ease of enjoying an evening with the alcohol of one’s choice."
Hope you enjoy the photo collage of our trip. Except my brother...who will call me a narcissist :)
PS. An adorable 4 year old started a conversation with me in the elevator about princess dresses. What a great way to start the day! Time to head out to Tulane and hopefully spend time with Will who loved to dress up as a Power Ranger :)
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