If I had picked for both Isabella and Liam, I would have been wrong.
To my surprise they both headed north. Liam to Middlebury College in Vermont, and Belle to Baltimore, Maryland to work as an analyst at T. Rowe Price. I was extremely proud of both.
Liam was going to be going on a full-ride as a student athlete on the baseball team. He had finished his high school career with a .383 batting average and a total of 115 home runs and 482 RBI's. Not bad for someone who started the varsity team as a freshman. He would take his basic level courses and decide on a major later.
Isabella decided not to stay at home in Asheville with Merrill Lynch, and also turned down Jeffrey's offer at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond. She had opted for an analyst position covering health care and biotechnology at T. Rowe Price. I was concerned about where she might live in Baltimore. While parts of the city are very safe, if you go one street over, trouble looms. We searched for a high-rise apartment with security in the financial district and found one that suited. It was a loft on the fourteenth floor, but it was heavily secured and always watched by camera.
Each of them had a successful fall and winter. Liam had played on a traveling "fall-ball" league until the weather got too cold in late October. Isabella was busy perusing 8K's, 10K's and Annual Reports. When she wasn't at work, she was reading the work of other analysts and doing her own analysis as well. She was up for the challenge, and picked some undiscovered market winners for the quarter ending December 31st.
Each of them came home for the holidays and stayed until January 5th. They each had some time to catch up with friends and we talked about what we would do for the summer. We had all; all three of us, decided we would return to Casa Amor. Isabella had to get permission to work remotely, but she plated-up the idea in such a way to her boss that he agreed. Reluctantly, but positively. Isabella would do some of her best work over the next four years at Casa Amor.
I pondered where they would end up. "Would Isabella return to graduate school and get an MBA or Law degree"? "And what would Liam major in?" These were the thoughts I had regularly at home.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
That summer was probably the most relaxing of my life. We ate like kings and queens, frolicked on the beach, the kids played volleyball each day and basketball each nite at the house.
At the end of the summer, as promised, Isabella and I sat down to go over the pros and cons of her job prospects. She was leaning toward T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, Maryland. They had offered her a junior analyst position in the equities department covering the health care sector. She would be responsible for analyzing the prospects for "Big Pharma" and the much smaller biotechnology companies. She was excited about the latter; as covering the prospects for Pfizer and Viagra as opposed to the up-and-coming prospects to squash cancer and Parkinson's disease as medicine progresses, this was much more her speed.
I on the other hand, thought she would be a perfect fit for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. She would have the opportunity to build a business from the ground up. And if she was asked to be a part of a team of advisors, she would learn at an exponential rate and get paid a very decent living for doing so. Plus, she would have a direct impact on the lives of people, one of her strengths.
During the summer, we had to take a week off to go and find Liam a college. He was interested in private schools. There was the Virginia Military Institute, Middlebury College, Darmouth, Penn, and one public university, the University of Alabama. Roll Tide! Liam was leaning toward Middlebury. It was a small college of less than 3,000 students. I had a preference for VMI.
We visited all five in one week, spending a day at each college. We checked out the dormitory rooms, the library, student activities, met with the baseball coach at each, and met with the advisors in the biology and chemistry departments. In the end, Middlebury would win.
Thankfully, cost would not be an issue, and instead of there being a cost, Liam would have an allowance. I would send him $3,000 monthly that I had hoped he would use wisely. I had already figured that he would spend time in the brew pubs more so that Belle had, but I knew he would be responsible.
At the end of the summer, as promised, Isabella and I sat down to go over the pros and cons of her job prospects. She was leaning toward T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, Maryland. They had offered her a junior analyst position in the equities department covering the health care sector. She would be responsible for analyzing the prospects for "Big Pharma" and the much smaller biotechnology companies. She was excited about the latter; as covering the prospects for Pfizer and Viagra as opposed to the up-and-coming prospects to squash cancer and Parkinson's disease as medicine progresses, this was much more her speed.
I on the other hand, thought she would be a perfect fit for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. She would have the opportunity to build a business from the ground up. And if she was asked to be a part of a team of advisors, she would learn at an exponential rate and get paid a very decent living for doing so. Plus, she would have a direct impact on the lives of people, one of her strengths.
During the summer, we had to take a week off to go and find Liam a college. He was interested in private schools. There was the Virginia Military Institute, Middlebury College, Darmouth, Penn, and one public university, the University of Alabama. Roll Tide! Liam was leaning toward Middlebury. It was a small college of less than 3,000 students. I had a preference for VMI.
We visited all five in one week, spending a day at each college. We checked out the dormitory rooms, the library, student activities, met with the baseball coach at each, and met with the advisors in the biology and chemistry departments. In the end, Middlebury would win.
Thankfully, cost would not be an issue, and instead of there being a cost, Liam would have an allowance. I would send him $3,000 monthly that I had hoped he would use wisely. I had already figured that he would spend time in the brew pubs more so that Belle had, but I knew he would be responsible.
I would return to Casa Amor the next summer.
Isabella graduated from William & Mary Summa Cum Laude and at the same time Liam was graduating high school. Each of them were at the top of their class, respectively and were ready to do big things.
Belle had been offered several opportunities. Locally with Dixon Hughes Goodman, and nationally with Price Waterhouse Cooper, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, T. Rowe Price, the Federal Reserve in Richmond and a private equity firm in Charlotte. It would be a hard decision.
We decided not to decide until the last week at Casa Amor. We left for Casa Amor in late May and would stay until late August. This time, we would spend less time at the beach and more time buzzing around town. The kids were officially grown-ups and wanted to explore a bit. I was proud of Belle. She had focused on her studies and not on boys. That would come much later to mys surprise. Liam would begin dating first, I just had a feeling. Isabella had that "laser focus" that my late husband had for his career.
Even upon reaching Casa Amor, I decided not to reach out to Paul. While we would be in the same geographic location for the next few months, we had not left Disney on the best of terms. While we each had a good time, Paul only once reached out via email and a note in the mail after the holiday. It seemed as if the note and the email were "closing statements" toward the relationship.
It bothered me some, ut in the end, I was glad that I had guarded my heart and myself. I had refrained from giving all of me to him at Disney; and just as I thought, I feared that might make his decision. At any rate, I wanted to see the outcome of that, and if that was how he woud make his decision, I wanted to see it be made.
Circumstances aside, we arrived at Casa Amor. Silvio was thrilled to have me back and he was excited to return to Italy knowing that the house; his home in America, would be taken care of.
Once again, I would not take care of Casa Amor; rather, it would take care of me!
Isabella graduated from William & Mary Summa Cum Laude and at the same time Liam was graduating high school. Each of them were at the top of their class, respectively and were ready to do big things.
Belle had been offered several opportunities. Locally with Dixon Hughes Goodman, and nationally with Price Waterhouse Cooper, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, T. Rowe Price, the Federal Reserve in Richmond and a private equity firm in Charlotte. It would be a hard decision.
We decided not to decide until the last week at Casa Amor. We left for Casa Amor in late May and would stay until late August. This time, we would spend less time at the beach and more time buzzing around town. The kids were officially grown-ups and wanted to explore a bit. I was proud of Belle. She had focused on her studies and not on boys. That would come much later to mys surprise. Liam would begin dating first, I just had a feeling. Isabella had that "laser focus" that my late husband had for his career.
Even upon reaching Casa Amor, I decided not to reach out to Paul. While we would be in the same geographic location for the next few months, we had not left Disney on the best of terms. While we each had a good time, Paul only once reached out via email and a note in the mail after the holiday. It seemed as if the note and the email were "closing statements" toward the relationship.
It bothered me some, ut in the end, I was glad that I had guarded my heart and myself. I had refrained from giving all of me to him at Disney; and just as I thought, I feared that might make his decision. At any rate, I wanted to see the outcome of that, and if that was how he woud make his decision, I wanted to see it be made.
Circumstances aside, we arrived at Casa Amor. Silvio was thrilled to have me back and he was excited to return to Italy knowing that the house; his home in America, would be taken care of.
Once again, I would not take care of Casa Amor; rather, it would take care of me!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
She would start June 15th and the internship would run until September 9th, just before her last year at William & Mary.
Prior to this, she would take a heavy load of economics courses. Isabella mentioned that they were focusing more on theory; and of course, developing their own at the student level. While Isabella's focus was entrepreneurial economics, she was no stranger to the basic tenants of the many theories within the economic space; both past and present.
Her semester was tough. And while Isabella was busy studying, Liam was busy "knocking the ball out of the park"; literally. In eighteen games, he had fifteen home runs and forty runs-batted-in. He was selected for the All-Area All-Star team, and would play traveling baseball that summer. Bella would be hard at work, and Liam hard at play.
It was hard that summer to split my time between traveling baseball and with Belle in Richmond. I did my best to go to Richmond every two weeks, and stay the weekend. Liam had a much busier schedule that kept me on the road. Because of this, I had to relax with Belle on the weekends in Richmond.
We had formed a tradition of having a "Girls Nite Out" on Saturdays. She had developed a taste for craft beer and wine, which was not far from Brady's footsteps. It seemed as though she was following them in lockstep. And not to go unnoticed, she was doing it seamlessly. Liam, too, was doing his very best on the baseball diamond. He typically had averaged one run a game and three RBI's. His batting average was a bit over .400; which is better than many professional players who have ever played the game.
That summer came and went. We were unable to return to Casa Amor. Silvio was additionally saddened that I did not return. Frankly, he had wanted me for a renter that summer because of the care that we had taken with Casa Amor. We gave it love and affection.
Prior to this, she would take a heavy load of economics courses. Isabella mentioned that they were focusing more on theory; and of course, developing their own at the student level. While Isabella's focus was entrepreneurial economics, she was no stranger to the basic tenants of the many theories within the economic space; both past and present.
Her semester was tough. And while Isabella was busy studying, Liam was busy "knocking the ball out of the park"; literally. In eighteen games, he had fifteen home runs and forty runs-batted-in. He was selected for the All-Area All-Star team, and would play traveling baseball that summer. Bella would be hard at work, and Liam hard at play.
It was hard that summer to split my time between traveling baseball and with Belle in Richmond. I did my best to go to Richmond every two weeks, and stay the weekend. Liam had a much busier schedule that kept me on the road. Because of this, I had to relax with Belle on the weekends in Richmond.
We had formed a tradition of having a "Girls Nite Out" on Saturdays. She had developed a taste for craft beer and wine, which was not far from Brady's footsteps. It seemed as though she was following them in lockstep. And not to go unnoticed, she was doing it seamlessly. Liam, too, was doing his very best on the baseball diamond. He typically had averaged one run a game and three RBI's. His batting average was a bit over .400; which is better than many professional players who have ever played the game.
That summer came and went. We were unable to return to Casa Amor. Silvio was additionally saddened that I did not return. Frankly, he had wanted me for a renter that summer because of the care that we had taken with Casa Amor. We gave it love and affection.
That next Saturday, we ferried Isabella back to William & Mary. She had a meeting with our acquaintance who worked for the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond the next Wednesday, as we might have an inside track on an internship.
I wanted to attend the meeting, so instead of returning to Asheville, Liam and I booked a room at the Ft. MacGruder Hotel and Conference Center for three nights. We would return late Wednesday, after the luncheon.
The three of us went to Busch Gardens on Monday after Isabella's only class which ended at 11:00 AM. The three of us rode roller coasters until we were about sick. We ate turkey legs and pizzas and really enjoyed each others company. I have always enjoyed seeing my kids smile, and Brady had taken us on many vacations with activities such as this.
Tuesday we ate dinner at a local Gastropub on the market square and spent time at the W & M bookstore; which was a Barnes & Noble property. Liam wanted a lanyard and sweatshirt from the college that his sister attended, so I obliged.
The meeting Wednesday was supposed to be in a relaxed atmosphere, but seemed more intense. While we felt we had the position "in the bag", Jeffrey mad Isabella work for it. He asked her questions about her economics views and what policies that were in place that she agreed and disagreed with. I was impressed by her answers, and felt like he made a good showing. At the end of the lunch, Jeffrey said, "I'll give you a try for three months".
Belle was ecstatic. You could see the smile and also the glow on her face. Working at the Federal Reserve Bank for a summer would really give her a leg up on the competition for graduate school or whatever she desired to do.
I felt relieved.
I wanted to attend the meeting, so instead of returning to Asheville, Liam and I booked a room at the Ft. MacGruder Hotel and Conference Center for three nights. We would return late Wednesday, after the luncheon.
The three of us went to Busch Gardens on Monday after Isabella's only class which ended at 11:00 AM. The three of us rode roller coasters until we were about sick. We ate turkey legs and pizzas and really enjoyed each others company. I have always enjoyed seeing my kids smile, and Brady had taken us on many vacations with activities such as this.
Tuesday we ate dinner at a local Gastropub on the market square and spent time at the W & M bookstore; which was a Barnes & Noble property. Liam wanted a lanyard and sweatshirt from the college that his sister attended, so I obliged.
The meeting Wednesday was supposed to be in a relaxed atmosphere, but seemed more intense. While we felt we had the position "in the bag", Jeffrey mad Isabella work for it. He asked her questions about her economics views and what policies that were in place that she agreed and disagreed with. I was impressed by her answers, and felt like he made a good showing. At the end of the lunch, Jeffrey said, "I'll give you a try for three months".
Belle was ecstatic. You could see the smile and also the glow on her face. Working at the Federal Reserve Bank for a summer would really give her a leg up on the competition for graduate school or whatever she desired to do.
I felt relieved.
Mom,
The children and I have just returned from Disney. We had a fabulous time and Paul picked up most of the bill. He is kind, gentle, intelligent; and I believe, genuinely interested in me. He is also good with the kids, and they seem to have accepted him at the moment.
I, however, am not fully jumping in with both feet. I pondered giving myself to Paul on this trip and could not. While part of me wanted too, there was a bigger part of me which told me to wait; just one more time. I had spent the summer in Coronado and met him there, and now nine days away in the same room. My doubts won, and we will have to see where it goes.
This Saturday, I will taxi Isabella back to William & Mary, and Liam has a few months before baseball season starts. He was an All-Area recipient at both the tailback and receiver slots.
I am proud of both of my children and continue to be amazed. Isabella has chosen Economics as her major at W & M, and I think tat Liam will attend a private college as well. We will be "running the gauntlet" this summer trying to pick the right college.
My hesitancy with Paul is in part the distance. If both of the children were in college, perhaps Paul and I could live part-time in Asheville and part-time in La Jolla, California. There is plenty to do there with San Diego in the back yard and Coronado Beach within fifteen minutes. I plan to return to "Casa Amor" next summer if Silvio will have me. I will book in March.
Sixty seemed ok, but I can feel a subtle decline as the number grows. I will be sixty-four by the time Liam enters college and Isabella will graduate. I pray that she does a summer internship and goes onto graduate school, but I can see her entrepreneurial spirit growing and growing each day. She may enter the business world and get her employer to pay for her MBA or law degree.
More later, as I must get Isabella packed.
With Love,
Stephanie
The children and I have just returned from Disney. We had a fabulous time and Paul picked up most of the bill. He is kind, gentle, intelligent; and I believe, genuinely interested in me. He is also good with the kids, and they seem to have accepted him at the moment.
I, however, am not fully jumping in with both feet. I pondered giving myself to Paul on this trip and could not. While part of me wanted too, there was a bigger part of me which told me to wait; just one more time. I had spent the summer in Coronado and met him there, and now nine days away in the same room. My doubts won, and we will have to see where it goes.
This Saturday, I will taxi Isabella back to William & Mary, and Liam has a few months before baseball season starts. He was an All-Area recipient at both the tailback and receiver slots.
I am proud of both of my children and continue to be amazed. Isabella has chosen Economics as her major at W & M, and I think tat Liam will attend a private college as well. We will be "running the gauntlet" this summer trying to pick the right college.
My hesitancy with Paul is in part the distance. If both of the children were in college, perhaps Paul and I could live part-time in Asheville and part-time in La Jolla, California. There is plenty to do there with San Diego in the back yard and Coronado Beach within fifteen minutes. I plan to return to "Casa Amor" next summer if Silvio will have me. I will book in March.
Sixty seemed ok, but I can feel a subtle decline as the number grows. I will be sixty-four by the time Liam enters college and Isabella will graduate. I pray that she does a summer internship and goes onto graduate school, but I can see her entrepreneurial spirit growing and growing each day. She may enter the business world and get her employer to pay for her MBA or law degree.
More later, as I must get Isabella packed.
With Love,
Stephanie
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