Peg Kerr's Journal

Two things happened this week that struck me as particularly significant, signs of life passage for me as a parent.

I gave the instructions to the Minnesota 529 College Savings plan to send the last payment to Delia's university and then to close the account. We started making these payments in, what, 2011, when Fiona started college. And it has taken eight years for Delia to get through, but she will be graduating this May.

Secondly, I ordered my mother-of-the-bride dress for Fiona's wedding, which will be taking place next month (it's pictured in the collage below).

I wish that Rob was here to celebrate with me, but nevertheless, I am so, so happy to have arrived at this point.

I like this card, and I think that I have really improved in making these collages over the past three years. I have used some layering techniques in this one (like the one that gives the interior of the room a glow) that I think elevate this card above the ordinary.

An open door shows a room interior with another open door showing beyond. Inside the room, just inside the door, stands a woman's figure wearing a navy blue long gown with a beaded yoke. Superimposed over the woman's head are a pair of hands holding a heart shape from which a bright light emerges that illuminates the room. Toward the top of the doorway are the words "MN Saves Minnesota 529 College Savings Plan.” Superimposed over the woman's feet are the words "University of Wisconsin Eau Claire." 2024 52 Card Project: Week 3: Passages

Passages



Click here to see the 2024 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2023 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2022 52 Card Project gallery.

Click here to see the 2021 52 Card Project gallery.

This is Memorial Day weekend. But more than that, today is the day that my niece, Leigh, graduates from Brown University.

My dad had gone to Brown University himself, and he was a loyal Brown booster. He went to many of the reunions and was a recruiter for Brown. He was absolutely thrilled that my brother Chet and Chet's daughter Leigh also chose to go to Brown. Dad had always told us how excited and proud he would be to be there on the day that his granddaughter graduates.

I know that today will hold some bittersweet moments for Leigh, since Dad didn't live to see this day. But my Mom is there, and I know that all the family who are there with you are so proud of you, as Dad would have been.

In honor of both Dad and of Leigh, to commemorate Memorial Day and Leigh's graduation, I went to Fort Snelling Cemetery to leave flowers for them both. The rose for Leigh is tied with a brown ribbon, as Brown University's colors are crimsom, white and brown.

Congratulations, Leigh! I wanted you to know that I visited your granddaddy today for you and for all the family, to tell him of your proud achievement in graduating from the school he loved so much. Please know that he loved you, and is absolutely there with you in spirit as you take that long walk down the hill to your commencement.

because it's late and I'm exhausted.

Rob is out of the hospital. He finally got out yesterday afternoon.

We learned on Monday that Delia is officially a college student again. Yay! We leave tomorrow night--Rob's brother Phil is coming from Eau Claire to pick us up with Delia's stuff, for complicated reasons, and then we move her into the dorm Thursday morning.

Today, Fiona, Delia and I had one last Afternoon Tea at Cafe Latte to celebrate. Sorry the selfie's blurred.

it may be said.

Delia received an email (on a Sunday) from the Admissions office of her college--the college she was going to move to in a mere week and a half--that said that her transcript showed she was short half a Social Studies credit and therefore would not be allowed to start college. 'Please call tomorrow to discuss.'

Note, they have had her transcript since June. They had accepted our money. They had accepted a scholarship check from our church. We had taken out loans and withdrawn from her college savings accounts. Yet this was the first we'd heard of it. Secondly, Delia needs to have 3.5 credits to graduate from high school, but the college only required 3 credits. And yet SHE GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. Obviously, something was wrong here.

After severe heart palpitations on several people's parts, Delia called the Admissions office the next day. And called and called and called. Finally someone got back to her to clarify: she was missing four hours on her transcript.

Delia's high school advisor was out of the country until yesterday, but today he and Delia determined that he had accidentally shorted her several hours when finalizing the reports for her transcript. The correction was made, and a new transcript was both emailed to admissions and sent out in the mail. The correction is not considered 'official' until the copy is received in the mail.

Delia then sent a follow up email saying, 'Please let me know when you have received the mailed transcript and I'm a student again.'

Hopefully we will get this confirmation BEFORE WE START DRIVING TO THE COLLEGE.

What an unfortunate introduction to college bureaucracy.

A post surgical Rob tutors Fiona in math for her Sequences and Series math test today. She was quite worried about it.

We had a pleasant holiday with both sides of the family. We ate dinner at Rob's brother's house (several relatives were there from out of town) and then went over to spend several more hours at my sister's house. We caught up with Fiona by Skype. Poor Rob had to go to work at 11:00 p.m. and work until 9:00 a.m. the next day.

I didn't do any Black Friday shopping. I've been troubled with a cold for a week and just didn't feel up to it, although I did go out today because it's supposed to snow and Delia needed snow boots. I went to the Mall of America, which just about killed me, but at least we got the boots.

We had a bat in our bedroom last night. I was quite indignant about this purely as it's December and we're not supposed to be troubled with them if it's not August. Rob got it out of the house.

Delia has been accepted by Coe College in Iowa. We're still waiting to hear back about several others.

Finally! Finally! Fiona has received word: she has been ACCEPTED to the University of Lancaster in England for study abroad next fall.

More details to come.

Fiona is applying to study at the University of Lancaster in England! She would be there next autumn. She will, of course, also take some time to do the obligatory running around Europe with a backpack. Among other things, she hopes to get to Florence to visit Mom and Dad's great friend Richard Serrin.

I am so pleased she is going to be doing this. She has been working very hard to get all her ducks in a row, which has made the last several weeks quite stressful. Her passport was renewed this week. She hasn't quite decided which courses to sign up for, but one will be differential equations (Fiona's a math major) and one will be a literature course, including some study of Jane Austen.

I studied at Cambridge University in England when I was in college, so I am feeling a lot of nostalgia. I told her how much I enjoyed my walking tour of the Lake District.

Any of my readers in the UK in that area?

I texted Fiona last week one morning to just say, 'just wanted to let you know your Mom loves you.' I immediately got a call, and a sleepy rueful voice on the other end of the line said, "You have no idea how well-timed that text was. I had just woken up and realized I had slept through my calculus class. For the second time this week."

"Oh, no!" I laughed.

She depends on her cell phone to wake her up, but the phone is slowly dying and so the alarm didn't go off. "You'd better go see your calculus teacher and find out what you missed. And grovel, while you're at it."

She groaned. "The worst thing is that we were doing review for the test we have on Monday."

Today, I got a voice mail from Fiona and I called her back. She proudly told me that she got 100.5% on her calculus test. (95% on the test, and ten extra credit points for turning in all her homework.) And on the linear algebra test she took the same day (yes, she is taking TWO math classes), she got 89%. No slouch.

I said I wouldn't advise her to sleep through her calculus classes in the future, although I'm sure the idea was tempting.

Oh, and she found another clock in her apartment that has an alarm on it. She says it is REALLY LOUD. Which is good, because Fiona is not a morning person.

Fiona has now declared her major: math, with minors in Spanish and Theater. And speaking of theater, Fiona is in a production this weekend, if there is anyone who is interested in seeing it:

Debt
Developed by Sarah Myers
Site Specific Performances: October 25-November 2 [these are performance scattered around campus, for other students]
Town Hall Meetings: November 1, 2, 3 at 7
November 4 at 3 p.m.

Tjornhom-Nelson Theater, Foss Center

What does debt mean to you?

Debt is an experiment in site-specific performance and public art exploring the topic of student debt in its many forms. A week of short performances throughout the Augsburg College campus lead up to four student-facilitated town hall meetings focused on different facets of debt in an academic setting.

As a Town Hall Nation project, Debt is part of a national engagement initiative inviting arts organizations, colleges, and other community groups to create events that demonstrate, present, or embody an ideal town hall meeting.

Fiona writes:

There is no cost, but if you want you can bring a non-perishable food donation. The seats are first come first served, no reservations. All of the shows are in the Tjornhom-Nelson theatre in the Foss building, the same place they were for Inside Out (the show she was in last year).

All of the shows are different, with totally different leaders and content. I'm probably doing the most on Friday and Saturday but whichever night you go will be an awesome show. So, pretty much whenever works for you.

She called me today, grabbing twenty minutes before a campus performance to check in. She reported that as it's both midterms and tech week, things are pretty crazy for her. She was going to be going non-stop from the point she called me (at about 10:00 a.m.) through class, work, and tech rehearsal, until 11:00 p.m. tonight, with no opportunity to grab a proper meal ("I'll be eating granola bars out of a bag I'm taking with me. And I have a psychology test today and a paper due tomorrow.")