Last year Monica was accepted to two excellent Catholic colleges, but neither one struck her as just the right place for her and she was having some health problems. So she wisely took a gap year. At Thanksgiving she had an opportunity to visit Wyoming Catholic College. That was it.
She applied, was accepted, got a job to help with tuition, and trained hard for the freshmen outdoor leadership expedition.
Our little family tradition, the day before someone leaves for college, is a visit to Dairy Queen. (I probably had a coupon or something the first time and it became tradition.) We aren't all together that much, so it's a fun goodbye ritual and we make sure it happens.


Our local DQ has this brick wall my kids always climb. I'm sure they love us there. Could these two be future Wyoming Catholic College students?
Monica has never been that outdoorsy. She wanted a larger school. She wanted to be closer to home. No one, including her mother, would have picked WCC for her. She and I traveled to campus for the freshmen orientation and move in. It's a young college, the campus is a bit... rustic. The strength of the college is in it's people, their faith life, it's natural, rugged, breathtaking surroundings, and it's curriculum. We feel very confident that she made the right choice. It will be challenging, both the academics and the outdoor program. But if her first few days on campus in the outdoor training is any indication, she will thrive.
In the kitchen of the apartment she shares with three other girls.
Her wonderful roommate
M n M studying their wilderness first aid training
Ha ha ha. Like mother like daughter....
our last evening with our girls
the beautiful rainbow God shared with M's mother and I on our drive home after saying goodbye to our girls
As I type, the freshmen class is out on day one hiking up the mountains of the Wind River Range: about 50 students, a dozen leaders, and half dozen priests. For 21 days. What an incredible adventure.
