College test day or an excuse to shop!

May 1st arrived and Ashton didn't disappoint me. She brought me my flowers! The tradition continues even though the little girl who would bring me a handful clenched in her little fist is now 17.On Thursday Ashton had to be at the University at 9 a.m. to take a placement test for math. The test would determine what math class she would need her freshman year. Since it was a gorgeous spring day I waited outside on the courtyard. I brought a book to read and as I took the bookmark out of it, it seemed ironic the bookmark I was using had been made by Ashton when she was about 7 or 8 and today she was taking college tests!

This table and chair set was the highlight of the college visit for me! It was showcased behind floor to ceiling windows in one of the college buildings. Ashton suggested I go in and take a photo. If you look closely you can see a couple of people sitting in chairs in the very bottom of the photo to give a perspective of how tall the piece was. Mark said it should be called "higher learning"! While Ashton got the car I snapped the beautiful blossoms. The sky was such a pretty blue and provided the perfect backdrop. By the way, Ashton completed the 45 minute test in 19 minutes and earned a spot in a Statistics class (which is what she dreaded taking). And since we were so close to the Mall why not go shopping? We went to Sam's Club to buy cases of water and iced tea for a trip Ashton is taking with friends to Myrtle Beach, SC in a week. Then to the Christmas Tree shop where Ashton found a donkey pinata for her Spanish class Cinco de Mayo celebration next week. We met Benjamin for lunch and to catch up on his busy life. He is an account executive for the Portland Pirates hockey team and really enjoys his job.
On our way home we detoured to Freeport to go to LLBean's. HOWEVER, Ashton THOUGHT we SHOULD go into Coach factory outlet and "JUST LOOK AROUND". Here is my Mother's Day gift! I fell in love with the bag, I love brown and it was on sale! I even called Mark at work to see if I could spend $$$ for it! The first thing he said was "Mother's Day is coming up, you deserve it"! Yahoooo....I still haven't recovered from the sticker shock and have the bag displayed on my bureau. I can't bring myself to load it up and use it! Oh by the way, we did go to LLBean's and Ashton came home with a new tote bag!