Merit Weekend is over, and we are home. It was a pretty successful weekend, since Cody left with a student ID and a pretty sweet schedule for the fall.

One thing I really appreciate about Merit Weekend is that it gives these students the chance to register before everybody else, including those currently enrolled at UK, which means they have first shot at all the classes. Basically, for their first semester, they get the classes they want at the times they want. This is the students’ reward for working hard during their high school years. Too often these kids don’t get the recognition they’ve earned, but UK’s Merit Weekend is a great way to reward them for their hard work.

While Cody went to meet with advisors in the engineering department, I sat through the same parent meetings I’ve sat through twice before. I only learned one new thing this morning, so I guess it’s a good thing I sat through them again. I must confess, though, that I did not sit through the afternoon sessions, which covered student health services and parenting college students. I did, however, find a comfortable chair and decided that Tiffany and I could sit there and wait for Cody to finish. She wasn’t eager to sit through any more parent sessions either.

It just so happens that the closer it got to 1:00, the room where we were sitting started to fill up, and soon there wasn’t an empty seat, as other parents who are preparing to send their children to be Wildcats this fall gathered around the TV to watch Kentucky play Florida. Maybe I should just say that you haven’t really experienced UK basketball until you’ve sat in a room watching the game with complete strangers who are yelling at the TV screen. This group wasn’t bashful with their cheering either.

Cody finished up just as the game ended, so the timing was great. All in all, we had a successful Merit Weekend. I am a bit saddened that this was my last college preregistration; after this, Cody will be taking care of business on his own. I’m sure I’ll have a few more moments between now and August, and I’m sure August 17 will be a difficult day for me, but I’m also sure that Cody will be a great college student. It’s exciting to watch him discover what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and I’ve no doubt he will do an excellent job in whatever area of engineering he finally decides to major in.

And for anybody who is wondering, I didn’t break out in tears during any of the sessions. I managed to hold it together, and I’m proud of myself for that. Since Cody was off with the engineering folks for advising, I’m glad I didn’t embarrass Tiffany. She probably is, too.

For now, though, I’m going to plan to enjoy the last six weeks of our school year (I still can’t believe we’ll be out in six weeks), and I’ll deal with August when it gets here.