Visiting Furman

Today we had a wonderful visit to Furman University to visit our alma mater. It was a happy day, . . . but it was the first time that a visit to Furman contained any hint of sadness. That is because it now looks next to impossible that our girls will be able to go here, . . . they have raised the price to 46k (from only around 15k when I attended). I am afraid it is now out of our reach. But on to the positive, . . . Leia Rose and Annie absolutely adored visiting the swans (ducks & turtles) and the rose garden! We even found the special climbing tree that blooms every spring and sports branches down to the ground (although it was cut back quite a bit). Leia Rose was really excited to visit "The Place of Peace," because it was a temple that originated in Japan and put back together here by a team of Japanese craftsman. Yes, Leia was thinking of Yukino! : ) I even got a picture of me in front of "the Cottage," which is now "The Green Cottage" thanks to the solar panels on the roof. It was quite a moving moment for me watching my two children stand by the bell tower, . . . where I have stood so many times. Our trip ended with a special "Kitty Show" in the outside amphitheater, and a visit to the new Plyler Hall, . . . where we were able to find Daddy's picture on the wall!