A Big Announcement {Zachary's Choice University}

Click to play the video and witness Zachary 

sharing his long awaited university decision with Grandpa Pete...

Praise God!

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts {Campus Visit}

Entrance to Thomas More College

Joining a quad of freshmen, as a guest on a top bunk in the men's dormitory, Zachary did not get nearly the 12+ hours of sleep I managed to accumulate sleeping solo in a hotel room near campus on our first night in New Hampshire.  After the previous travel day with very little sleep, that first night's recovery did the trick for me.  Zachary, on the other hand, probably banked barely a few decent hours of sleep, and in fact rolled out of bed only minutes before his first class which began at 9AM (just like at home!).  

Despite being well rested and recovered, I managed to tip over my morning cuppa coffee at the hotel, which fried my cell phone in the process.   There were endless refills on coffee in the lobby, so I survived; my cell phone didn't fare so well and devolved to texting functions only.

Thomas More College chapel (double doors) and cafeteria (side door)

 Main altar and surrounding beauty inside the chapel at Thomas More College

The chapel at Thomas More College, where our Lord is truly present in the tabernacle 24/7, is a sacred space frequented often by students and faculty throughout the day.  While I enjoyed an afternoon read on a sunny bench outside the faculty building, I witnessed an active faith alive and well on campus as many stopped in at the chapel to visit with our Savior, some staying for prolonged prayer and others simply dropping in for a brief pause in His Presence before going on about their day's business.  Our Lord has truly blessed this campus and His people who are called to study, work and worship within.

 Thomas More's resident iconographer/art teacher, David Clayton, gives Zachary at tour of his workshop/guildhouse and his latest icon which is currently 'under construction.'

 Formerly the sheep stalls, now the 'caf' for students and faculty

An immersion campus experience for Zachary, his full day at Thomas More College included attending classes in art, humanities, religion, and satire (literature).   We met for lunch in the 'caf' and shared another amazing home cooked meal around a table with new friends and another visitor, a girl from Chicago who had just arrived on campus for a 24 hour stay.  To say that the students and faculty at TMC were friendly would be quite an understatement~ the people on campus were truly delightful and showed outstanding hospitality.

An after lunch tour given by instructor David Clayton, resident artist and iconographer, led us through the chapel and the art guild classroom/workshop and gave us an inside peek into TMC's well planned, intentional, sacred beauty and glimpses of future projects and enhancements for the campus chapel.  The gift of art is a living gift at TMC, and an appreciation for beauty thrives.  The TMC liberal arts program includes a sophomore semester in Rome, where TMC has a satellite campus and where students are steeped in history, art appreciation and gain a greater understanding of the universal church.

 Thomas More College classrooms and library building

Heading East {Washington DC and New Hampshire}

Grandma Billie took this lovely photo of us at SeaTac Airport at around 4AM.

To sleep or not to sleep? That is the question one asks oneself when a departure from home is scheduled for 1:45AM.  I opted to sleep, being a person who can almost always fall into a deep sleep just as my head hits the pillow, if not sooner.  However, on this night before departure, the whole falling asleep thing didn't quite happen as normal.  So, rather than a few hours of sleep to prepare for the big day, I logged maybe half an hour or so of real sleep, but who's counting?

Paying for two nights parking at SeaTac in the 3's, we were inside the airport and checking in by 4 for our 6AM flights.  Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliff headed to Washington DC with Joseph and Peter (a Christmas gift); Zachary and I were en route to New Hampshire to visit Thomas More College of Liberal Arts.  With flights departing within minutes of each other, we shared the early morning ride and the joys of passing through airport security together.  After the pat-downs, re-packing of our x-rayed belongings and putting our shoes back on, we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

Enjoying a third breakfast or a first lunch (depending upon the time zone) Zachary strolls along at Chicago's O'Hare between flights.

Met at Manchester, New Hampshire, by the Thomas More College shuttle, Zachary and I embark upon the final leg or our day-long journey to campus.

Due to an annual vocation awareness event at a local Catholic grade school near TMC, the daily Mass schedule had been changed so the priest wouldn't have to bi-locate.  After the marathon day of travel from coast to coast, we landed on campus right as the 5PM Mass began.  If you know me, you know this was truly the highlight of my day!  God is so good!  

Mass in the small, beautiful chapel was followed immediately by a home cooked meal in the cafeteria below.  Italian beef, fancy rice, freshly baked rolls with fresh salad, topped off with self-serve chocolate ice cream for dessert seemed far better fare than the standard institutional-style campus meals.  A professor joined our table just as the conversation had turned to shooting and eating snakes, which somehow segwayed into a fascinating discussion about beauty in liturgy.  Turns out this gifted professor will be speaking at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, in a few days on this very topic, and the insights he shared with us shall be treasured as a highlight of my TMC campus visit.

Ready for his immersion experience into student life at Thomas More College, Zachary surveys the campus.

Admitted @ 4 {University Dilemma}

Admitted to 4: Thomas More, Notre Dame, Washington State, University of Puget Sound; wait-listed at 1: Hillsdale;  Zachary's university selection now enters its final phase.  Presidential scholarships and merit based financial awards sweeten the admission deals offered by these various universities.  Congratulatory phone calls, emails, letters of welcome, and invitations to 'admitted' gatherings are all flashy lures in this sea of selection. With at least one more campus visit on his horizon, Zachary has a few weeks in which to finalize his plans for next fall. 

Zachary's choices:

• attend a prestigious Catholic university on a large campus in the Midwest 
• attend a devout Catholic liberal arts college on a small campus in the Northeast
• attend a local liberal arts university on a small campus with optional participation on swim team in the Northwest
• attend a state school on a large campus in Eastern Washington, earning a BA in 2 years (2 years credit given for running start course work)

Each university on his list comes with its own benefits and costs; each comes with some distance to travel and some climate adjustment.  Good advice abounds, but some voices can also cloud the waters with overt enthusiasm for one choice over another.  Above all, we want Zachary to follow God's will for his life and to choose wisely the school which can best support him on his path. 

And now, the million dollar question lingers: What will Zachary decide??? 

Will you please say a prayer for Zachary?

Jesus, I trust in You!