Kingston

So the girl and I went to Kingston this weekend to take in a Queens University tour. We made a girls' weekend out of it ... played hookey from work and school on Friday and left early enough to get in a good afternoon of shopping on Princess Street. We had a lovely time. I had booked us in for the night at The Secret Garden Inn bed and breakfast - it was just gorgeous. We had dinner at a vegetarian restaurant called Lotus Heart Blossoms, and a very yummy breakfast on Saturday at the B&B. Just look at how gorgeous and antique-y and just so Kingston-y this place is:




We stayed on the third floor in the Turret Room. It had a huge four poster bed, an antique single bed, a two-sided gas fireplace, a cute reading nook in the turret, and its own private 3 piece bathroom. It also had some extra stuff which B&Bs aren't always known for, such as a tv in the room (small and discreet), wireless internet access (I was going to blog, but was too tired!), and a phone in the room.

Of course I managed to sniff out some scrapbook shopping ... on our way into town from the 401, we stopped at Marchant Rubber Stamps and Paper Memories where I picked up just a few things:


Yes, that's an owl on that patterned paper ... I finally succumbed to the owl trend! Oh, and the yellow and blue leaves weren't a scrapbook store find but rather, something I sniffed out at a cool store called Ten Thousand Villages.

The Queens tour was fairly informative ... we already knew all the technical stuff from poring over the university's website but the tour gives you a real sense of the place. It's clear that they feel they are a very elite school, and a very special close-knit student community. We got to visit an actual residence ... and the girl didn't think it was so bad after all. The bathrooms were "disgusting, but not as disgusting as the ones at the cottage". Lol.

I'm torn about whether she really should consider going away for her undergrad ... on the one hand, I selfishly want her right here where I can take care of her; on the other hand, I also want her to have this experience. And on the third hand, there's the financial incentive to staying home. While I have no doubt she would get accepted at Queens, I suspect that the scholarship dollars will not be as high as she would get from UofO or Carleton; and of course, the costs overall will be much higher.

For what it's worth, she's torn too; because there's a unique program at Carleton that really interests her (Bachelor of Humanities), but the thought of Carleton itself doesn't do much for her. If she were to stay in Ottawa, she'd prefer the University of Ottawa, but if she goes there it'll be for a B.A. with Major in History and Minor in English, to prepare her for Teacher's College - not as exciting an undergrad option as the B. Hum. The thought of Queens - a prestigious university, living away from home, living in Kingston which she loves - really interests her, but the program she would take there (Concurrent Education - a B.Arts + B.Ed) doesn't excite her as much as the B.Hum. does.

Here she is in front of Summerhill, one of the oldest buildings on the campus ... the look on her face says "Mom, your picture-taking obsession is really embarrassing me", doesn't it!!!!


While we have been talking university for over a year now, this is the beginning of an intense, months-long marathon university conversation. She will be making her applications as soon as mid-term marks are out (mid-November or so). I expect she'll get some early admission offers. Final decision needs to be made by the end of May - I think the deadline for accepting an offer is May 26 or so. There will be lots of agonizing between now and then. I wish I knew what the right answer is. Parenting is so hard. You think it'll get easier as they get older ... but you just trade in little dilemmas for big ones, I think! And the biggest dilemma of all ... when should you just take a deep breath and LET GO?