Move-out day!

This morning I went up to Miami University to help Laura move out. Although she already had her car there, there was no way she could get everything in her car. Fortunately the weather was dry, but it was overcast and very humid. They had turned the air-conditioning off - I guess they figured the doors were going to be open nearly all day - so it was hot and sticky work. Fortunately she was only up on the first floor and not the third! We were done by lunchtime, so we had lunch together uptown, then I came home with her stuff, while she stayed on for her last exam! When I got home I emptied the stuff into the hallway, then went out grocery shopping. Jen and Jason arrived in time for dinner - they're down for the weekend for Mother's Day.

We had some bad news this evening from Philip. He's been training since the end of November to become a Navigator in the Air Force. But it turns out his depth perception isnt good enough. They had discovered this in his medical at the beginning, but apparently they have a system of waivers, so they had let him continue, but I guess as they need less navigators than they used to, they can afford to be more exacting, so his waiver was refused. This was really disappointing for him, not to say frustrating, having just wasted the last five months. He had originally hoped to become a pilot, and didnt make the cut for that, but seemed quite happy with Navigator, being second-best - and now that's been taken away from him. So now he has marked some other positions which would interest him, and locations, and it will go before the Review Board. He expects it to be at least a month before he hears, so in the meantime he is doing deskwork - not exactly what he was envisioning when he signed up I'm sure.

Laura failed to get the summer job she was hoping for, working with kids in a summer camp, so when she got home, she started doing the rounds of fast-food places etc picking up application forms, but I'm afraid in this economy its going to be tough on students looking for summer jobs.

Its so tough as parents watching your kids suffer disappointments and setbacks - its all part of life's experience, but your heart breaks for them.

On the brighter side, Jen and Jason arrived with good news. Jason has got a teaching assistant position at University of Houston where he will be starting a Masters in Creative Writing starting in August. This provides him with free tuition and a small salary, so will greatly help their standard of living over the next three years. They're going for a visit at the end of the month to check things out and find somewhere to live, and Jen has an interview set up with a hospital for a nursing position. So at least things are falling in place for them