Back in the homeschool classroom: Staying in touch with homeschool friends

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9Wt5U485Ogodnf069BMZv-B2xxO1xUucItIvN5dyMdiZrVfhQl1uGzGhqbHeuNVr2eWXsKNfiZ4ggaDSWBgQMstRPbLthlowrMvTVIvNuX5285ivGxOMq-aLxy7Mu43-8WeTSXlkLtx0/s1600/school+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9Wt5U485Ogodnf069BMZv-B2xxO1xUucItIvN5dyMdiZrVfhQl1uGzGhqbHeuNVr2eWXsKNfiZ4ggaDSWBgQMstRPbLthlowrMvTVIvNuX5285ivGxOMq-aLxy7Mu43-8WeTSXlkLtx0/s1600/school+books.jpg" /></a></div><br />I got a phone call this morning, out of the blue, from a homeschool friend here in Augusta County, the first homeschool friend I made when moving back home to Virginia seventeen years ago. Back in those day, I had left my name and phone number at the Staunton Library at the children's desk -- homeschoolers spend hours at the public library and I knew that was where I could find local moms -- and Christine was the one who called.<br /><br />She was in leadership with the local homeschool group, Parent Educators of Augusta County Homes, and it wasn't too long before she pulled me into leadership, too, once they found out I had been the newsletter editor with our homeschool group in North Carolina. We spent many happy years raising our children and teaching and working in leadership with others who were doing the same. She was the one who introduced me to Milmont Greenhouse and Nursery in Stuarts Draft ... her husband was part of one of the local Mennonite families with ties to that area of the county.<br /><br />Our children graduated from homeschool and then from college, and we drifted apart a bit but still catch up occasionally. After her phone call this morning, today is one of those catch-up days. So I'm heading to her house on the Middle River for a lunch of quiche, salad, and iced tea along with conversation and, always, laughter. Because when the two of us get together, we laugh the silly, carefree laughter of longtime friends.<br /><br />It reminds me of the saying, "Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver, the other gold."<br /><br />How very true. <br /><br />---<br /><i>Lynn Mitchell educated her children at home for 16 years and was part of leadership in North Carolina's Iredell County Home Educators (ICHE) and Virginia's Parent Educators of Augusta County Homes (PEACH). Her son graduated from Harrisonburg's James Madison University (JMU) in 2007 with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Creative Writing. Her daughter graduated from Staunton's Mary Baldwin College in 2012 with a BS in Sustainable Business and Marketing. Lynn and her husband live in Augusta County located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The story of how she began her homeschool journey <a href="http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/back-in-homeschool-classroom-blazing.html">can be found here</a>.</i> <br /> 

Augusta County Back in the homeschool classroom homeschool leadership homeschooling Mennonites Middle River Milmont Greenhouse Parent Educators of Augusta County Homes Stuarts Draft Back in the homeschool classroom: Staying in touch with homeschool friends

I got a phone call this morning, out of the blue, from a homeschool friend here in Augusta County, the first homeschool friend I made when moving back home to Virginia seventeen years ago. Back in those day, I had left my name and phone number at the…

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Back in the homeschool classroom: Grown son's first house

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbaOY5gze7LqBd5pDiAjc5xYhu_mLZoyWT3tTknRMnn58TJNY32Kfnlon8Paox6t6mJ_HO9UN7z-O_mEEnRdCWkhMNpl1z7mN_iNrfWNINzKgG9t2X39t6g90sjtL1cNYfDWxHsBuqflP/s1600/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbaOY5gze7LqBd5pDiAjc5xYhu_mLZoyWT3tTknRMnn58TJNY32Kfnlon8Paox6t6mJ_HO9UN7z-O_mEEnRdCWkhMNpl1z7mN_iNrfWNINzKgG9t2X39t6g90sjtL1cNYfDWxHsBuqflP/s400/25.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Unpacking and organizing in the new kitchen.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We're proud of our son. At the age of 29, he has become a home owner, purchasing (on his own with no help from us) his first house -- a three bedroom, two bath with one car garage and pool with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. <br /><br />It's a path he has been on since graduating from homeschool high school. Educated at home in grades 2-12, he attended nearby Blue Ridge Community College and then transferred to James Madison University's computer school to complete his degree. He secured a job in Harrisonburg and moved into an apartment with friends, paid off his student loan within a year, then saved and finally bought a new car after driving an old one since the age of 16. With the car paid off, he turned his attention to home ownership. <br /><br />This year, that became a reality. His friends, sister, brother-in-law, aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandparents have visited. We gathered as a family at his house and celebrated.<br /><br />The foundation laid during his youth has paid off with his fiscal responsibility and determined path in life. His dad and I are proud. He now has a nest of his own.<br /><br />---<br /><i>Lynn Mitchell educated her children at home for 16 years and was part of leadership in North Carolina's Iredell County Home Educators (ICHE) and Virginia's Parent Educators of Augusta County Homes (PEACH). Her son graduated from Harrisonburg's James Madison University (JMU) in 2007 with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Creative Writing. Her daughter graduated from Staunton's Mary Baldwin College in 2012 with a BS in Sustainable Business and Marketing. Lynn and her husband live in Augusta County located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The story of how she began her homeschool journey <a href="http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/back-in-homeschool-classroom-blazing.html">can be found here</a>.</i> <br /><br />Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />June 2013

Back in the homeschool classroom Blue Ridge Community College family James Madison University Lynn R. Mitchell personal responsibility Back in the homeschool classroom: Grown son's first house

 Unpacking and organizing in the new kitchen. We're proud of our son. At the age of 29, he has become a home owner, purchasing (on his own with no help from us) his first house -- a three bedroom, two bath with one car garage and pool with a view of …

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