Sydney Finds a LAX Niche

Sometimes it's not easy being Sydney. She has both the good and bad luck to be Claire's younger sister - by three months. Claire's personality is to take EVERYTHING seriously and put forth 100% effort - usually resulting in some level of success.

Sydney's approach is much more laid-back and easygoing. Until now. She's only been playing lacrosse for about two months, but so far it's been a fantastic match for her. She can dive into a mass of girls fighting over a ground ball and (amazingly) come up with the ball with amazing frequency. Once she GETS the ball, she just...TAKES OFF. (See photo.) My tiny girl has wheels. She seems to just get exponentially better each week - I wish the season would last longer! She's now perfecting her skills to the point that she's learning how to "roll" around defenders when she has the ball. Once this child learns to catch and cradle, she will truly be a force to be reckoned with. 

Sam's Big Decision

I have to say that it feels good to be 99% sure of where Sam will be for the next four years. The road to college was a lot bumpier for her than I expected it to be. Just in the past two years (since Joe applied) it's gotten a LOT more difficult to be accepted into schools - particularly state schools - since the economy shrank and the applicant pool grew. A lot. 

So, after a lot of soul searching and paperwork wrangling, it does look as though she will be attending Virginia Commonweath University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. We visited the school about a month ago and I have to say that we both left with a very good impression. I can definitely picture Sam wandering around the somewhat "urban" campus - lots of different types of people and an eclectic feeling to the surroundings. It seems a better fit for her than a more traditional, tree-lined-type campus. 

Sam plans to study anthropology and VCU has what appears to be a good World Studies program - including an opportunity to study abroad (which I feel sure she will take advantage of). 

I am delighted that she will only be two hours away, and that she has an opportunity to park her car on campus - which hopefully translates into a few extra weekend visits. I will miss that girl terribly as will Claire, Sydney, Tony, and maybe even Joe. (He'll at least miss her cooking and coffee.)

Go Sam! Go Rams!