<p>Amanda, I’m so glad dd1 intervened and got the message to ds to check in. Sometimes just hearing their voice for a minute to know their previous concern has passed is enough to get us through. Amazing how primal our protective urges can be. Sleep well my friend! :)</p>
<p>Well, I’m traveling for the rest of the week so we gave ShawD her the black beaded dress cocktail dress (I guess you’d call it) that she was disappointed that she couldn’t have and then that someone (ShawWife on the sly) had bought. She’d actually gone back to TJ Maxx today and had found it in XS instead of small, which fit fine except the bust was too small. So, she was disappointed again. </p>
<p>Then, after dinner, ShawWife gave her a box that included the dress folded up and covered by towels and sheets. When she got to the dress, she was so happy that she started hopping up and down for about five minutes. She’s been beaming since. She did look elegant and stunning in it (or better). Sexy but less revealing than much of what she/girls wear today. Classy. She said, “I’ve got to find someone to invite me to a black tie dinner.” (I think it is fair to say that she looks so good in it that if she wears it, she won’t have any trouble finding someone to go out with, although she might intimidate a few guys.")</p>
<p>She then started joking. “I’ll have to go out with some rich guys so I can go to a black tie dinner. Then, who knows, it will lead to marriage and in my speech, I can say that I didn’t go out with you because of who you are but because I had a perfect dress.” </p>
<p>Somehow, this dress has something to do with a rite of passage in her mind. It takes her from girl to woman, perhaps. It was fun to share this moment with her.</p>
<p>shawbridge, what a terrific story; the perfect little black dress, and given in a way that I bet she’ll always remember. So sweet!</p>
<p>Such great stories I have missed the past few days, especially gator4ever. Spent the last three days at our local arts festival and that was a nice way to take my mind of the absent DS2. Took me about 30 minutes in a quiet hotel room to work through all your great posts.</p>
<p>About the door stops. Ours came from the local Ace Hardware. We paid $3 for two of them. They are ugly brown (not black and gold) but they work!</p>
<p>Today was the first day of classes at Mizzou. Calculus II, Physics I and Seminar for Physics majors all reported as fun, fun, fun. Everything worked out with the CLEP credit for Calculus I. Temporary panic about a login and password for web assignment for Calc II but he emailed the TA and she promised to work it out tomorrow. </p>
<p>His roommate (and his best friend) broke up with his girlfriend last night. That seemed pretty cruel and really bad timing. She lives on the same dorm floor. They both went on vacation with us and spent a ton of time at our house. Tough way to start the school year. I have texted the young lady because we have grown very close this summer. She is handling it well and they hope to remain friends.</p>
<p>Tweet from this morning–one hour before his first class. “Getting 9 hours of sleep feels awesome.” He is really thriving and I can’t get the grin off my face!</p>
<p>Hugs to you all. Gradually, we’ll all figure out how to to assume this new role.</p>
<p>owm, I suspect the young lady will be glad he released her right at the beginning when she looks back on it.</p>
<p>I do not recommend listening to Big Yellow Taxi right now. I speak from personal experience. <em>sob</em></p>
<p>D1 is “packing” – putting all her TV series DVDs in a big case. She is running out of room and wants to go get another case tomorrow. No sign of any packing of clothing or any other items. The SUV pulls out in 40 hours whether she is packed or not.</p>
<p>Great stories everyone. Sounds like most kids and moms are adjusting well. So glad ShawD loved her dress and EB daughter is safe. I hope the storm blows out to sea. We made all appropriate arrangements, but I rather not have to deal with them. Oh well, out of my control.</p>
<p>I am glad to hear Emmy your daughter is OK and AK that your son is well.</p>
<p>Good grief-lots going on in here!</p>
<p>Morning</p>
<p>Took a pic of our HS soph this morning–and it is the first school pic I have taken without the two together. 
While kiddo1 is here–and in the bed-- Kiddo1 said “it’s not my first day”… ah well…</p>
<p>Good to read all of the launching accounts.</p>
<p>AK Glad your Ds is fine. Ah, how they can take their sweet time to respond…</p>
<p>Great stories from everyone. D1 is the last of her crew to move in and she still has almost two weeks to go. Her last friend leaves this evening…so she has been attending many “last” events. Now that her friends are gone she is looking for someone to hang around with and guess what - she has picked me! I feel like I just won the lottery…so we have plans for the movies, dinner, the beach, etc. Work can wait.</p>
<p>Shawbridge - I love the story about the dress! And I bet she will go to many a black tie functions.</p>
<p>OWM - I too feel badly about the break up. The timing is just awful but I guess there never is a good time. Hopefully the newness of school will help her move on and the proximity to her old beau won’t be too stressful.</p>
<p>AK - and the roller coaster ride continues…I thought we got off that ride back in April…at least you can sleep…for now.</p>
<p>EB and AK – glad your kids are fine!</p>
<p>MoB – lucky you!</p>
<p>oh fogfog…</p>
<p>Enjoy being her best buddy MoB!</p>
<p>**The next new student move-in is Pitt, Midwestern State, Duke and RPI move-ins on August 23rd - today!
Move-in day is TODAY! Where did the summer go? :eek:
[ul][<em>]Marquette University, Bryn Mawr, and Reed College move-ins on August 24th are just 1 day to go.
[</em>]Willamette move-ins on August 25th are just 2 days to go.
[<em>]Georgetown University, Champlain College, Elon University, Yale University, and SUNY Potsdam move-ins on August 26th are just 3 days to go.
[</em>]Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, California Lutheran University, Sarah Lawrence College, Tulane University, Lebanon Valley College, and Loyola University of Maryland move-ins on August 27th are just 4 days to go.
[<em>]University of Pennsylvania (Wharton - Penn Quest program), MYU (Stern- BPE), Adelphi University, RIT Honors, and Northeastern University move-ins on August 28th are just 5 days to go.
[</em>]Trinity College, Boston University (FYSOP), and Columbia University move-ins on August 29th are just 6 days to go.[/ul]</p>
<p>The last new student move-ins are the University of Oregon and the University of Southern Oregon on September 22nd
Move-in day in 31 days. Just over a month to go for the final move-in.</p>
<p>The link to the Move-in Date Thread is <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1141579-hs-class-2011-college-class-2015-move-dates-5.html</a></p>
<p>If you son’s or daughter’s move-in dates and schools are not listed please add them to the list.**</p>
<p>amanda, it never really goes away, but I do think after a while you find your “off” switch - at least so you can get some sleep. </p>
<p>Yes, I have training. First, I sent D1 to college already. Then she studied abroad in South Africa - 4 straight months of heavy denial for me. It was OK as long as she was with her program, but I literally had to go dormant the last week when she and a bunch of friends rented a truck to roam around a few more national parks before they went home. More than one day out of touch with her in a hurricane would have been pretty rough, but I’ve learned to have faith I never thought I had, just so I don’t go crazy.</p>
<p>I know other parents are even better trained than I am. But I do feel like a “sophomore” at least in this long-distance stuff.</p>
<p>Best wishes to our east-coasters and future east coasters as they (we) manage the rain this week. Keep up the weather reports, locals, please! Actually right now WI feels like it’s right on the edge of the storm, pitch black, sheets of rain, thunder and lightning.</p>
<p>D is calm and working hard, but she is very quiet about any “last” celebrations. We’ll see what she decides. Maybe she’d rather just have our “first” celebration in NYC and leave it at that. And she, too, had to buy a second DVD case - how could she survive college without every season of Scrubs???</p>
<p>^^^ I kind of feel like we are going through a divorce here. There are a lot of negotiations re who gets custody of which DVDs at our house.</p>
<p>Ha ha - yes - we have had many very sweet, "Gee, Mom, would it be OK if I took … " requests. But also remember the 18th birthday present was X number of $5 DVDs for things she just couldn’t bear to leave here - and that I couldn’t bear to let her take! I’m just glad the CDs can be downloaded; we would have blood shed for sure over my showtunes collection!</p>
<p>And she’s going to use our Netflix at school, so I’m not sure why all of the meshugana about the TV series, except just to impress her friends.</p>
<p>With D1 we did a bit of a borrowing system - she took some DVDs just for a semester, with the promise that she’d return (and borrow more) when she came home for break. D2s doing a bit of that, too.</p>
<p>Move-in at Wellesley was pretty smooth. Mid 70’s, sunny with a nice breeze. She wanted to get there a few hours after the dorms opened to avoid the crowd. Her dorm was on 1st floor and her room was about 50ft. from where we unloaded. 
</p>
<p>She wanted her 3 younger sisters there. Everyone helped out. DW did good. I was proud of her.</p>
<p>So many traditions. She will have so many memories. </p>
<p>I did get to read her 50 pages of “Ginger Pye” over the weekend while she laid in a hammock. Did not finish but made me feel so much better. </p>
<p>My job here is done. (famous last words)</p>
<p>As a parent that has mucho experience with kids traveling and living long distance, I can tell you that it gets slightly easier with each child, but I still have some anxiety. </p>
<p>My oldest went to college 16 hours away and by the time she graduated had been to Peru twice, Europe once and Africa once. After she graduated she lived in China for a year and while there traveled to Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand and all over China. Two weeks ago she went to Istanbul and Greece. Most of the times she knew someone at the destination point but generally traveled by herself. She’s lived in Brooklyn, worked in Harlem and now lives in TN. I laugh at myself thinking that I was worried when she was going to college here in the US, having no idea what was in her future. What I found out is that she really can take care of herself and if she needs my help she will call. </p>
<p>My #2 son did his own adventure early this year (he graduated College last Spring), by doing a four month free form tour throughout Europe. For the most part he traveled all by himself, hitch-hiking ( I did NOT like that), and managing trains, planes and cars on his own. </p>
<p>So with #3 child, you would think I would be able to take everything in stride. I did learn that he/we can buy or get whatever we forget or don’t take, but I am still not sleeping and going over lists in my head. Some things just don’t change!</p>
<p>Oh Kinderny and EmmyBet! I had to laugh about the DVD division! D (our freshman) left last week and we were negotiating DVDs of Pride and Prejudice (she got the Kiera Knightly version, I got the BBC version) and the various like movies and musicals. S leaves tomorrow and we are negotiating the action/spy movies. We have bought dvds as Christmas/birthday gifts for them over the years and now, suddenly I am having withdrawl of them AND the movies!</p>
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<p>All of Texas is hoping that a tropical storm will stall over the state. </p>
<p>As for DVDs…D’s problem is that she wants the Disney movies but they are all on VHS.</p>
<p>I know kids go international all the time… my only brother did it and is STILL there. For whatever reason that doesn’t help me reconcile my first child leaving the nest and being a mere 90min from home. Perhaps that’s worse…I know I <em>could</em> go for lunch if invited :o . Yesterday at the post office mailing his care package someone quipped ‘why the heck are you paying to mail this…drive it!!’ I had to keep from tearing up to respond…‘Um, I’m not allowed.’ Bluejrjr put his arm around me, smiled wickedly and said ‘I don’t think that applies to little brothers…I didn’t promise not to show up uninvited.’ 
Luckily for Bluejr his younger brother only has his learner’s permit so he’s safe from pop-in’s until spring. </p>
<p>I’m sure all this will get easier…it still hurts like hell. My mom keeps reminding me I’m just a deeply emotional and attached person. It’s a double edged sword. It makes me a fiercely loyal person, but any sort of detachment is painful…always has been. I’ll get there.</p>