where’s the hitchhiker’s guide when you need it?

We always knew that the group bathroom in the college dorm would be a problem for Tommy. It has been a constant source of annoyance for Tommy and the resulting poor hygiene has been the topic of far too many weekend conversations. Still, I was caught off guard yesterday, with just a few weeks remaining […]

smells like . . . oatmeal

Tommy: “Mom, can you get by the co-op this week?” Me: “Umm, why? Do you need something?” Tommy: “Yeah, my dorm room gets really stinky, so I want some horse feed to leave out in a bowl to make the room smell good. Not the cheap feed though. The good stuff that smells so fresh.” […]

college is not summer camp

Tommy’s first semester away at school we learned exactly how much he has changed and just how much things remain the same. The biggest surprise was that Tommy made friends. Real, honest-to-goodness, not orchestrated by parents, friends. Tommy and his friends played games, watched movies and went shopping. You know what they didn’t do? Study. […]

Tommy says:

“People have been cheering all night up here. Everyone is really happy.” Politically involved 18-22 year olds at a very small college in Appalachia are celebrating right now. Instead of screaming and cheering, I weep quiet tears of happiness. Tomorrow, we must begin moving forward as a united nation. As difficult as the past two […]

Dear Tommy,

I am beyond thrilled that you are happy at school with your friends. I can see that if this college doesn’t work out, you are going to need to live away from home to be happy and functional. However, we need to talk about two things. First, let’s talk about your room. I like it […]

Up, up and away

After taking Tommy to the Greek food eatathon, we dropped him off at Pellissippi to spend the day watching hot air balloons with his friend. Then, we went on an extremely rare dinner outing with our friends. Before we even had our food on the table, my phone rang. “The glow is at eight. You […]

Greek food wins every time

After a month away at school, Tommy is finally coming home for the weekend. Not to see us, but to visit Greekfest. He doesn’t care about the church service, the dancing, the music, the outfits or the people. He only wants to eat the delicious food. I like everything about Greekfest, but there’s no denying […]

high school is like home

I still don’t have a picture of Sarah doing the half-time show that I really like. I tried again last night. On my way into the stadium, a vice-principal waved and asked me about Tommy. A few minutes later, a parent asked me how Tommy is doing. Almost immediately another parent asked, followed quickly by […]

world’s longest umbilical cord

Thursday night, Tommy called to say that he wanted to stay at school instead of coming home. Fine. Then, he asked me to bring him clean clothes. Not fine. I explained that ALL of his pants and underwear were already in his dorm room. Without a moment’s hesitation he asked me to drive up the […]