Trey Day | 10.17
I sent Trey a handful of snaps (SnapChat posts) last weekend when I was in San Francisco. First, a short video clip of downtown, near the Powell street station, with lots of people and cable cars and music, to which he replied with the photo on the left. I followed up with "I don't know, I could be in the library studying!" I then received the photo on the right ...
For Trey Day, which was actually on the 22nd, I'm going to document that fact that I absolutely adore this boy AND I'm incredibly grateful for social media (even the kind that I'm NOT very good at) so that we can stay in touch. Trey is nearing the end of his 2nd month as a college freshman and he's doing well. He's harboring an illegal kitten (Phoebe) in his dorm room and doing more than his share of dirty dishes left in the sink by roommates—both of which will likely become things he will laugh about 10 years from now. He's enjoying his classes, most of the time, and he appears to be staying on top of the onslaught of assignments and tests. He is particularly enjoying his Humanities class and confesses to loving classical music and reading wikipedia profiles of dead artists. I've had a couple of conversations with him when he's felt overwhelmed and/or disappointed by grades on tests. On one Humanities test, he thought he had done really poorly, after studying super hard. Then a couple of days later, I got this text message ...
“Guess What!? That test that I was bummed about yesterday in Humanities? I got the highest score in the class! So relieved!”
Today I was rifling through my big Rubbermaid bin labeled Stacy Youth and came across a letter I wrote to my parents on October 30th, 1984. For some reason it caught my eye and I stopped to read it. I thought "I should share this with Trey, so he knows that his mom can in fact relate to college stresses and frustration ...
Oct. 30
Dear Family,
Ok! You want letters, I'll give you letters—I just took one of the hardest tests I have ever taken, it was in Geography and right now I feel sick! I feel like I put so much time into that class and it just isn't paying off—I think I'll be relieved to start taking classes for my major—then at least I'll enjoy doing the work for them. I hope this week and next go by fast and I can just hang on by my fingernails cause they are the toughest. Mid semester blues set in and you can really get behind. I've got to make it. Please don't be disappointed in me about my Geography test—I'll keep on trying but I can honestly say I'm having a hard time liking that subject (like right now I HATE it with a passion!) Now I've got to study my rear off for Nutrition which is tomorrow—I've just barely read the chapters. I'm sitting here in Genealogy being bored to tears. My professor gets off on these stories and doesn't really teach a whole lot on how to find information. [Note: I barely remember taking Genealogy. It appears from my writing letters during class that I wasn't paying much attention, ha!] Tonight is a dance party for my 280 class (Ballroom Dancing) costume and all, but I don't think I can afford to go—I want to but I've got to STUDY! It is so good to talk to you on Monday nights—I should probably jot down the things I want to say because it seems like I always forget to tell you something. Heidi's grandma called and is flying her home for Thanksgiving. She promised me she would come and see you and give you all hugs from me. I haven't heard at all from Lori—have you seen her? Is she really busy? I have a hard time keeping up in my New Testament class too. It's only on Tuesday nights from 5:20 to 7:00pm and the text is Doctrinal New Testament Commentary by Bruce R. McConkie. It is such a good class but is really detailed and I'm probably going to do crummy. I got a 77% on my 1st test! There just isn't time in a day—I swear I don't waste it! It seems like my roommates play ALL the time and I study. I don't know. I supposed I'm just frustrated right now. Well class is over—I'm going to take a break and go hear the Forum then study, study, study. Thanks for reading this and understanding me—I think you guys are the only ones who do!
Love, Stacy
As far as my Geography class. I don't remember what grade I got, but I now look back on that class as one of the best I ever took. So, we remember what we work hard for. I also remember getting a B- in that New Testament class—a grade I was very proud of ... and perhaps that's because I didn't get a C! It was a difficult class for sure, but I still have notes scrawled in the margins of my scriptures that I've transferred a few times that were (I believe) from that course.
Anyway, college is for the most part a distant memory, with a few random and recurring dreams about forgetting to go to the testing center thrown in ... but I'm enjoying the moments that resurface as I talk to my boys and listen to them and watch them work their way through. Good times and hard times and future-shaping times. I certainly had my fair share of messy roommates and dirty dishes.
Too bad I never had a kitty 🐱
