'Kate's Page of Stuff
New Stuff:

* Mike is graduating from High School in '05
     He's becoming an impressive young man. He'll be 16 when he graduates with the '05 class so he has a busy year ahead. Learning to drive, taking the SAT/ACT, applying to colleges, and getting use to the idea of living away from home are all going to be jammed into this semester. He's decided to major in computer sciences. He's gotten a head start by teaching himself C++.  The college search is on.
    
* Lisa is starting High School
      Not without some drama though.  It seems that no matter how much things change, they remain the same. Mean girls. One in particular has decided that she doesn't like Lisa and started rumors about, of all things, Lisa talking about others behind their backs.  Lisa tracked down quite a few to this one mean girl. So what do you tell your daughter when her clique has turned its back on her and said nasty things like, "I never liked you.  I was only doing things with you because you paid."  Lisa has always been the type of kid who shares.  It's a shame that's been turned around on her as buying friends. I told her to rise above it.  If they felt that way, then they didn't have to consent to being paid for.  What does that make them?  Lisa's found a few new people and strengthened her friendships with the two girls who have stood by her so I guess all's well.  Time will tell.

* Whoo hoo!  Finally in Grad School!
   
I'm taking my first graduate level classes this summer and trying to map out the next three years.  I can hardly believe that I am a college graduate and yet, I have the sheepskin to prove it.  It's been a difficult process but I'm extremely proud to have that degree and with the extra cum laude.  Now if I only knew what cum laude meant.  :-)    
Journal Stuff
  I'm making a effort to get out more but grad school is taking a great deal of my time. So... just to get started, I registered in Yahoo Personals.  I figured, what the heck?  As long as I'm sitting here typing papers for school, I may as well see who happens along.  It's disconcerting putting ones self out there.  It's an entirely different venue.  I've met people online before though.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Sometimes it appeared to work for awhile and then reality set in and the practical aspects of things like moving closer to one another, blending families, or general lifestyle differences got in the way. I have some flexability but not total flexibility.  Once I finish grad school (3 years), I'll be able to pick and choose where I want to be in the country. Until then, I'm limited to the Houston area.  Gosh summers are hot.  And humid.

So.. that's what's on my mind today, July 10, 2004. 
Old stuff from 'Kate's site:

We haven't had a decent vacation in awhile.  Mom's death last year kept us in NY for most of the summer.  This year, our respective school schedules have us booked for all but 2 weeks in the beginning of August so vacation time will be limited.  But... if you want to see our last pics, they start
here.