The World According to Leslie

 Back in August, we visited Chowan University.   The campus is small, about 1200 undergraduate students.  When you pull in, you notice the simple beauty of it.  Entrance Gazebo Columns Building They are decorated for Christmas, but everything is Chowan blue! While we were there, we talked to her admissions counselor, he gave us the tour. We also talked to financial aid!  Oh my!  If you didn't know already, college is expensive! (No matter where you attend!) Finally, we spoke with the athletic director. If Chasity attends Chowan, she will probably be on the bowling team. With her average and skill level, she should fit in well there.  The best part of the long drive to there and back was the cotton fields. They were EVERYWHERE! We found the closest Wal-Mart to Chowan, and there were cotton fields on three sides of the parking lot.  I wanted to touch the cotton, but I never got out of the car to do it. I should have!! These were the fields near Wal-...

I've known for a long time (you know, forever) that my daughter wouldn't stay little forever. In fact, she's 13 now! It's crazy! She's in 8th grade. She's so smart. She's so pretty. She's becoming so independent. She's taking high school classes, while still in middle school. In short, she's growing up too fast, and she's AMAZING!! Last night, however, she proved that she's even more amazing than I could have imagined. We went to the College Fair sponsored by the local school district. There were about 200 schools there. She grabbed this list/map and decided on the schools she wanted to visit. She already has a chosen major. She walked up to the reps and introduced herself and asked about the program she wants. After talking to the reps for a few minutes, they all offered for her to give information and "be sure you apply early." So, the Princess says, "How early can I apply? I'm in 8th grade." Out of the...