The Spring Break College Trip: Santa Clara University & Stanford

   I'll post a few pictures & thoughts. What a blistering trip. I won't pretend it was easy. We flew the longest legs. Good choice. We should have asked those in the know about LA to help us do a bit more planning. Poor choice on our part. The Venice Beach rental was lovely, but the area SO not us. However, we really liked the Venice Beach Canals, and catching up with my nephew who gave us a tour of Phase Four where he is working on space propulsion.

   We went to see some of these schools because they are on our consider list and others we were just curious about. It was all worthwhile. Seeing schools and regions in person really does change and form perceptions and awareness and take some of the mystique away. It's all about FIT for your student. What a haul though. Her gut melted down after an intense Mock Trial season and some other travel plus other strains on her system. She is such a trooper and so resilient, but her story is not mine to tell. That said, finding a college where she can fly (i.e., eat well) will be critical. I'll post a few thoughts about the schools from my notes.

   First stop Santa Clara University which has been voted #1 most innovative university in the west. We enjoyed our visit, but since school was out, we did not get a real sense of the place. The area did not really appeal to her, but her brother enjoyed the visit. Campus was mostly populated by international students and the soccer teams. Nice compact campus. Dean of Engineering is across the street from main campus. People drive fast in the area, and food selection was okay. Airport very close by.

 Stanford

One of the best admissions discussions we attended.

97% of students will live on campus all four years.

Barns were to die for. 

7k undergrads & 10k graduate students.

Decent size campus, really pretty large.

There was a sense of cooperative teamwork, not an eat you alive attitude like some Ivies.

Internationally known design school.

50% study abroad paid for by school.

Can't find your club? Propose it and the school will pay for it. 

EE maker space labs are open 12 hours a day/6 days a week.

Palo Alto felt very expensive and not very appealing.

We did have some very good hummus in town.

The college itself felt like a safe welcoming space. That said, crime is becoming an issue in visitor parking lots specifically during break times when they know many visitors are on campus.
Keep your valuables locked up and out of sight in your trunk. 

Some families found they had stolen suitcases, lap tops, etc....

Bill Gates on campus for an AI symposium while were visiting.

Food was good. She could eat here, but the lines were long at lunch.

Many housing options available.

Out of all the schools we visited, she could see herself here.

Likely to apply for kicks and giggles with no expectations.

 There's more than one way to explore a campus.

More schools coming soon....

School Year Doings 2019-20

   A peak out our window says summer is almost here. The grass pollen is raging, while a swallow has built her nest in our eaves. I'll clean it out later, but for now I'm happy to enjoy her sweepings to and fro.

   School's grasp has almost released us, but summer appears to be priming herself to keep us busy. The kids have a few irons in the fire and we will see what summer brings. Certainly, there will be some soccer, some online health classes, and driver's ed, plus a big birthday party!

   But for now a glance back to late winter and early spring.

They had a great VEX season.

 He served as a House Page for the day. His shy came out, but he rose to the challenge!

 In the state press room yakking it up...

with the shortest haircut ever.

 Inside the state vault. No $$$$$ here!

   Her Mock Trial season felt like it would never end, but what a wonderful group of students, judges, and lawyers. So grateful for their team's efforts and their hard work; they made it to Oregon State Mock Trial. Here's to this fall and another season, but not quite yet!

   Overall the kids are keeping busy. She took a study hall for semester 2 to ease her blistering class load, and when Mock Trial ended she did a deep dive into books. Hmmmmm....  She's riding and still working at a barn. Enjoying youth group, and starting to recognize some college planning is good!

   He's been playing spring soccer and also refereeing locally and that's earning him a bit of money. Home school co-op is over and his two classes in town are almost over, and he's very ready to be freed from the strictures of school (and me) in order to tinker and do his own thing this summer.

   I expect this fall I'll join a local gym so I have somewhere to go, sit (yes sit), hang out, and workout while they are busy exploring their interests. Hard to believe we will have two in high school. What a terrific year and they've both grown so much. Very thankful for God's goodness in all the crossroads and crossings this year. It's not been easy, but His grace has carried us.

~ Kim

Welcome, 2019!

   A few pictures of our crazy days. Overall, life is good. Our 2018/19 winter was less mellow than previous years due to National High School Mock Trial and VEX Robotics, but those are over and spring soccer is here. We are overdue in pruning fruit trees, the fridge is dying, and the moles are taking over, lots to tackle. Can't believe we almost have both kids in high school and new horizons approach!

 Cascade Head Hike

 Comet aka Napoleon.

Snow day donut endeavors.

 Great group of kids and they rocked it at state. 

We were so impressed by his coding tenacity this year.

 Oregon House of Representatives page for a day.

Sitting at the governor's ceremonial desk.

So incredibly impressed by the rigors of HS Mock Trial. 

So glad the intense preparation schedule and drive time is over.

So thankful for the judges and lawyers that worked with her team!

Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse 

Portland, Oregon

Catching Up!

 Punkin Patch Adventures

 Much to his chagrin, he has caved for Comet.

 Still lots and lots of soccer in our lives. Winter training continues.

 How did we get to sophomore year?

 Eighth grade shall soon pass. 

Working to survive the hybrid home schooling :-)

 Thanksgiving in Portland!

 Shores Acres Light Adventures, Coos Bay, OR

 Yoda Snowman

 Eagle Crest Holiday Time Out

Trying to approach 2019 with the right attitude and well rested!

Ireland 2018

   What an amazing trip. What amazing shades of green. What amazingly kind people. What grace to survive the driving. What amazingly good food! Ate far too many scones, but never enough scones!

   Their favorite part: climbing the ruins (all the kids seem to...). A few times it created a bit of stress. Thankfully, we didn't need to utilize the Irish healthcare system! There are ruins everywhere you look. It's amazing how the Irish live surrounded by history in every field and over every hillock, whether prehistoric, Celtic high crosses, or "modern" famine ruins.

   Favorite locations: the Dingle Peninsula, Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, and the Valley of Boyne. Things we'd do different: visit the Galway Latin Quarter for the day instead of two nights, and skip the hostel with amazing reviews (Jacob's Inn) upon exhausted arrival in Dublin and splurge for a really nice hotel. 

   Biggest surprise: the quality of their food! The food is amazing and most locally sourced. Every package of beef in Ireland at the supermarket can be traced back to its farm. They also raise VERY big cows and there's lots of them in every little valley. We found the museum cafes to have amazing food for reasonable prices. No need to leave to find food. Settle in for tea, scones, and lox and when refreshed hit the exhibits again or head out for walking and touring.

   Second biggest surprise: we saw lots of sheep, but on the valley floor we were surprised by the number of cows. I guess that explains all the beef for meat pies. 

   We did survive the driving. Just. Barely. Made. It. You need a car in Ireland to see all the sights, but by 5 p.m. each done I was DONE driving. There's a 50% damage rate to rental cars in Ireland. We beat the odds. Thankful! Enough said!

   Best advice for Ireland? Read the Ricks Steve's guidebook before you go and then leave it home, especially for the Dingle Peninsula. Just stop where the mind and body find intrigue. Pack a small cooler bag so you can pack many picnics. Take good hiking shoes because you will want to explore many nooks, crannies, and fairy trails. The local grocery is delicious. Skip the cities and explore the countryside. Stay in old stone farmhouses for super cheap, if you book ahead. Visit Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, not to be missed ancient sites. Chase sheep. Walk a beach. 

   If we ever get to visit again? More time on the Dingle Peninsula and Connemara for sure, and definitely renting the smallest car possible that is both a diesel and automatic, and more scones, many many more scones. The hiking affords you the scones. The scones afford you the hiking. Perfect!