Please Hold On To The Bar

Fasten your seat belts. Hold on to the bar. The roller coaster ride is about to begin!

Yup, we just registered Carter for his ACT Test in April. From here on out, we are on the college-bound ride from hell. Or, thinking positively, maybe it will be gentle and calm like the Lazy River at a waterpark.

Ha. Unlikely.

Between the 2-hour financial aid meeting last night and the 30-minute registration for the test, this is occupying our minds AND our time already. Of course it will all be worth it. I'm just still in denial that our baby is this close to moving onto the next amusement park without us!

I also can't believe a 16-year-old HAS to know what his career will be. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? I don't even know that yet! In order to appease all the inquiring minds, he tells people "chemical engineering." Granted, he will likely use his math skills to go in that direction, but who knows if that is going to be it. For now, I think he just wants a ready answer when people ask.

This avoids a further grilling and a bevy of suggestions. That inevitably comes when they ask what college he is interested in. The answer: He doesn't know. We haven't reached that peak on the roller coaster yet. But I am sure we'll be picking up speed in that direction before we are ready.

And by "we" I mean Boy Wonder AND his soon-to-be impoverished parents. I mean proud parents!

Should be quite the ride over the next 12 months or so. Good thing I don't get motion sickness.

I will keep the anxiety pills handy, though!