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It's been some time since I posted an update on the youngsters and the post on grandchildren got me thinking.
My oldest, Ryan, recently graduated from Old Dominion University with honors. She was conferred with two degrees - International Studies and Foreign Languages (emphasis on Spanish, though she also took Arabic). She accomplished this in 7 semesters and incurred no debt. This month she is moving to Ft. Collins, CO, where she will work with some friends in their campus ministry at Colorado State University while she attends grad school on-line. She will be getting her Master's in non-profit business management. Her goal is to run programs like the medical brigades we participate with in Mexico and Central America. In pursuing this line of work, she's assisted in programs in Honduras, Mexico, Bolivia, Nepal, South Africa, and France.
Moments ago, she boarded an airplane at Dulles, headed to Australia for two weeks of vacation with her cousin and some other folks she's met in her previous travels. To highlight what a parent's dream she is, she is paying for this all on her own, as she has her other travels. Last continent yet to conquer is Antarctica. She jokes about going, but I almost believe she will.
After Australia, she will spend a few days at the UN in NYC participating in a young people's forum on serving in 3rd world countries. Ironically, her first grad school class syllabus lists the report generated from the previous forum as required reading. She will leave NYC to drive to Colorado with her mom.
I'm obviously extremely proud of my beautiful, wise, spiritual, smart and CONSERVATIVE daughter. Graduation photo coming at some point....tough getting photoshop time to process photos when I'm home in such short spurts.
Now, on the man-cub. Reese is currently studying mechanical engineering at Old Dominion, about to begin the 2nd semester of his junior year. He is doing well, maintaining his scholarships and enjoying college life. He has become a highly respected leader in his campus ministry, where he started (along with his sister) a community service club to work with impoverished youth in the Norfolk area.
He spent last summer working as an intern at Washington Gas (largest natural gas provider in the DC Metro area). He learned several valuable things from the experience:
1. He's not that interested in the gas industry 2. Even as an intern, engineers can make some pretty decent money 3. Money burns a hole in his pocket 4. If you are going to live and work in Northern VA, figure out a way to live near your job
Barring any unforeseen challenges, he should graduate on time (Spring of 2019) without any debt. He has a girlfriend who Mrs. Trout Bum and I both like. He's a heck of a lot smarter than his parents and has such finely honed diplomatic skills that he can challenge his mother and she listens.
I love that he's a history buff. He's very conservative and manages to get other millennials to think by deflecting arguments away from people to issues and facts.
As with any of us, all is not perfect, but I'm grateful for how things have turned out with these two - they are better kids than I deserve and represent a significant improvement on where they came from.
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"Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire..." Exodus 12:9
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