HoCo 24

Tonight was Evan’s last SEC game as a student. He scored a student a ticket on the third row.

His last weekend spent pomping - or drinking beer while supervising pledges who pomped a float.  

His last HoCo week as a student. The week ended on a high note with another point in the win column.

Four more weeks and he graduates. Gosh, the time went by so fast! 

Back at School

Today I moved Evan back into the house in Knox. He’s one of five guys living there this summer, and the best part is, he’s living there for free until fall semester. 

After what I saw today, it better be for free! 

The kitchen had flies in it and unwashed dishes for days. The cook is off for the summer, and the four guys living there haven’t cleaned it since summer started on May 22. 

Evan’s room did have a decent carpet, a fridge, LED lights, shoe racks, space saving hangars and a set of corkscrews. Because we know what’s important in the frat house.

We cleaned it as best we could. We switched out one ungodly mattress for another and made the bed. We put the futon together and got the dehumidifier working. We got a fan running on high and the fridge stocked with Costco meals. 

He and Anna will be back home intermittently until rush begins in mid August. 

Fingers crossed that his first day at his new job goes well on Wednesday. 

Go V🍊LS!

Evan and Mak were in the student ticket line at 6:30 this morning for the 4:00 tip off. Student tickets are free, but seating is not reserved. For the best seats, you must be first in line. 

By 1:30 the crowd had grown restless and started a food fight.

When the gates opened, it was pure chaos, but they got the coveted seats in the first section next to the tunnel. 

They celebrated in the stands with the players after the big win over Auburn, but Evan said the city could have burned and he would have never known. He was in bed at 7:30 and slept for 14 hours. 

He’s doing it all over again next Saturday when we host Arkansas.

Go Big 🍊!

The Day in the Life of a College Freshman

In today’s episode of Life as a College Freshman, we explored programs of study. 

Evan: I think I might change my major first semester going into sophomore year. I can’t do these sciences for 6 years. 

Me: What are you thinking about doing instead?

Evan: Either marketing or electrical engineering

Me: 😮 You do know electrical engineering is a type of science, right? 

Evan: (crickets)

It’s Game Day

Classes are canceled. Tailgate parties have begun. The campus is a sea of orange. It’s game day!! The campus exudes school spirit; this is exactly what Evan has wanted out of the college experience.  Out of state parents are in an uproar that classes were put on hold today. I want to remind them UT is in the SEC. Football is a religion in the South. 

Evan is wearing this in hopes of making the Jumbotron. 

We are watching the game from the couch, but those seeing it in person say the stadium is the loudest it has been in recent memory.

I’m so thankful that a sense of normalcy has returned to college campuses and students can watch the game in person. GBO! 🧡🍊🏈

Torch Night

The class of 2025 participated in the annual Torch Night event at Neyland Stadium. The freshmen light candles and carry glowsticks to the stands where they (many years ago at least) pledge allegiance to UT. It is a rite of passage for Volunteers where they learn how they can make a difference in their school and community. The night wraps up with the Rocky Top Rally. Evan is one of 6000 freshman and standing in the lower right corner. You see him?

New Vol Day

Today we are celebrating #NewVolDay. Students all across the country are celebrating their acceptance to UTK and the new adventure that awaits them. Evan and McKinley are two of the 6,000 admitted to the #UTK2025. 

Advising begins in June. Ignite is in July. Move-ins are in August. 

He’s a Vol

It’s official! We paid the deposit and signed the housing agreement last weekend. Evan is a Vol!

He wanted a big school with long established traditions and Saturday tailgating. He wanted big games and exciting sports programs. He wanted to be near the water and yet close to home. He needed a school with a wide range of degree programs. He needed an affordable tuition to keep him out of debt. I’d say he got that in UTK! 

He looks good in orange.

6 out of 6

The last acceptance letter finally arrived this week! That makes 6 out of 6 acceptance letters! Unfortunately, UK didn’t make it out of Evan’s top six. Sorry, UK. You should have sent us the 99cent gifts of socks, flags, or posters like the finalists did or at the very least act interested in having him on your campus. Evan narrowed down his list to three in December: UTK, UAB, and Belmont.

In January he narrowed his three down to two: UAB and UTK. Our tour of UTK is the first week of February and then a decision has to be made. Housing deposits are due and roommate choices have to be made. 

College Tour

We spent our first day of winter break touring Belmont University in the beautiful city of Nashville.

We got a tour of the school, a close up look at the simulation labs utilized by nursing and pt students, and got to meet one of deans in the health science department. We now know why Belmont is home of the Bruins and the history behind the gazebos on campus. They once housed real bears!

After the tour, we ate a great Cajun lunch in the Hillsboro neighborhood. Then we drove to 12th Ave South for a picture at the iconic I Believe mural. 

Evan’s still mum on where he might go to school in the fall. 

Acceptance #5

Acceptance letter #5 arrived this week, along with a $28,000 scholarship. If you had asked me a year ago if UT was even being considered, I would have said no. Five years ago, I would have said heck no. But here we are. 

Next step should be an official tour of the UT campus. 

Admission Counselors Have Me Going Hummm

These college admissions counselors really have me perplexed. If I performed my job like they perform theirs, there wouldn’t be anyone from my classes going to college. 

Today we got a letter from an unnamed school that congratulated Evan for his $14000 scholarship. However, he never received an acceptance letter. Did we miss something? We checked unopened emails,  and we turned up with nothing. This made the whole family go hummm. 

You can see how much Evan thought of the offer. So I guess this makes four acceptance letters - two more to go. 

Accepted x3

This is so exciting. Acceptance letter #3 from UAB arrived today. They must have finally conceded Evan is an American citizen after all. We went round and round for a full month trying to prove residency and citizenship because he was born in Germany. 

Accepted x2

This came in today’s mail: a college acceptance letter to Belmont University in Nashville.

And Evan’s ACT score from the October test went up another two points! Today is a great day!