All grown up?

Its been a while since I have blogged. Not because I don't enjoy it but rather because not much new is going on. Erin is still playing soccer and very involved in USY. A.J. has finished track and just about done with high school. Soon there will be a whirlwind of activity and then he will gone.
This week A.J. asked our permission to take a 3 day trip to the beach with his friends, following graduation and sans adult supervision. There will be 9 of them altogether--4 girls and 5 boys--and they will have 2 hotel rooms(boys in one room, girls in the other) at a hotel on the beach in Pacific Beach (the girls picked it unbeknownst to them that A.J.'s uncle lives just blocks away). They are all good kids and I am not worried about them doing anything illegal BUT I am still worried and have my reservations about allowing him to go. They will be driving in 2 cars to San Diego. They will be staying in a "party" area of town. They will be on their own for 3 days and 2 nights.
Maybe its just me but I feel like A.J. and his friends are less mature, or maybe less sophisticated, than I was at that age. They live in a "small" town, in a pretty sheltered environment. The have all had driving restrictions on them until only recently and I don't think any of them have significant freeway driving experience. Do they even know how to get to San Diego? What if they get lost? Well I do hope the ones that are doing the driving are the ones with GPS in their cars. Once in Pacific Beach I am certain they will run into more rowdy college students then they have ever seen. I certainly hope they don't get into any confrontations. Uncle Bruce does live right near by but it turns out he will be out of town for most of the time A.J. will be in town.
After I told Dave my concerns he reminded me that it is A.J. and HIS friends that are going. These are all very intelligent, well behaved kids. They will probably do no more than eat, go to the beach and play poker. They have all proven themselves over and over again with their behavior throughout their high school years. They know how to handle themselves and in no time all of them will be off to college. Dave sees no reason why they shouldn't go.
We now have given our blessing. The only catch--they may NOT go to Tijuana.