<p>AK- what you wrote about your D could have been written about mine!</p>
<p>I was offline yesterday as we drove to Hampshire to meet with the disability services coordinator. D took the lead but got a little frustrated (only I could tell) because he would start sentences then stop, talk about one approach but then segue to another and then look vaguely at her. He was a very gentle, sweet man but D’s reaction was: “Pony up, cowboy.” (e.g. Just make a recommendation. Ok to list other options if you think they are viable.) She is used to much more direct approaches (Gee, I wonder why? )</p>
<p>We now have a bit of concern about move in next week. D is on the 4th floor with no elevator. She is quite the overpacker. D is nursing an injured ankle (so can do one or two trips up stairs) and H is disabled. :eek: We had heard that there are people to help carry stuff up- but hear now that it is very casual and folks are seeing each other for the first time so sometimes spend more time socializing than helping . :eek: again. I am good, but I am not sure I am that good. I guess, “sufficient unto the day…” and all that. I am now looking into a handtruck/dolly just in case.</p>
<p>Hugs to Misssypie, Pepper, Kinder and others as we deal with all this stress. </p>
<p>Kinder, moving onto the 4th floor without an elevator sounds brutal. A hand truck is a good idea, but it won’t help you get up the steps. Any chance D could leave some stuff home and bring it later when you might be able to get some help?</p>
<p>BU has posted on their website that students shouldn’t take risks getting to campus by Monday, and that they will delay the start of the pre-orientation program if necessary. I’m trying to follow Amanda’s advice to stay calm so my D remains calm, but it’s hard.</p>
<p>Hugs indeed to families facing move-ins with the added stress of Irene!!</p>
<p>We had planned our annual trek to the OBX for next week (taking just S3 this year) but will gladly stay home this year (actually I would never have planned the trek w/o out Bluejr…my inlaws plan the date and we just show up. no idea why they chose a date when only one of five grandkids can come?!?). I just got an email from my FIL who says he thinks it will be okay by Sunday. :eek: Yea, you let me know how that works out for you!!</p>
<p>A successful launch to report! Duke did a very nice job of getting things moved in quickly – our car was swarmed by helpers within minutes after we pulled up to the curb. I was glad that I had told S2 to label most items with his room number, as it made it easier for the helpers to tell where things were to go. The weather was lovely! (So sorry for those of you who might face move in in the rain. Ugh!) Nice dorm room with plenty of storage space. His room was set up by noon – complete with posters on the walls – and we were off to Target to get a few small extra things – mainly surge protectors! The doorstop would have been a good addition, but we just propped the door open with a shoe. That worked. His roommate is very nice. We didn’t get to meet his family as international students moved in 3 days early and they were gone by the time we arrived. S2 says that he is meeting so many nice kids and is having a ball. Duke has lots of activities planned for the students and had some very nice things planned for the families as well. D1 and ohiodad were sad when we left, but I have to say that I had a smile on my face. He was happy…I was happy. A good sendoff!</p>
<p>BI…we have gone to the OBX every year for the past 15 years, but skipped this year because of schedule conflicts. Just couldn’t find a week that worked for everyone with our sons’ internships and then high school sports for S3. Ah well…next year, we hope. You do wonder why the grandparents would have chosen a week when only one grandchild could go. Sounds like something my inlaws would do.</p>
<p>The first time that we vacationed with my inlaws was not good. They were not seasoned group vacationers and struggled with the meal planning, etc. My FIL had rented a 2 bedroom condo for 7 of us. H, S1 (in a port a crib), and I slept in the living room. The other 2 couples got bedrooms. Hurricane Bob threatened to hit and my brother in law and FIL sat up all night in the living room watching the weather channel. The only TV was in the living room. Uhhhhhh…that was our bedroom. I ended up putting S1’s bed in the kitchen so that he could sleep. The next morning, we faced a mandatory evacuation. FIL was refusing to leave, as he had paid for the condo and was not about to be displaced and pay for a hotel room on top of it all. I put my foot down and said that WE (H, S1 and I) would be leaving as the police had stopped by to tell us that power and water would be shut off that afternoon. I was not staying there with an 18 month old. FIL eventually decided to leave with the rest of us. We left to stay at a hotel a couple of hours away next to the interstate – not exactly the beach. Returned to the beach 2 days later with only one day of vacation left. Not our best trip…but it did provide some stories.</p>
<p>pepper - HA!!! You made me lol on that!
missypie - safe travels and zen thoughts to you!
ohiomom - Congrats on the successful move-in!
kinder - ooooh, that is going to be tricky! hope the ankle makes a miraculous recovery - at least for move-in.</p>
<p>Bates emailed that as of now the AESOP’s are a go for Tuesday morning which means we need to move boychild in on Monday - which means we would have to drive through hurricane conditions to get there. Oy vey. </p>
<p>My DH works for NY Homeland Security and Emergency Management and they’ve been on high alert since yesterday. Everyone is going to 12 hour shifts starting tonight but since he is a deputy director he might never get home and there is zero chance I’ll drive to Maine by myself. Like I need this extra stress - boychild hasn’t even started packing. He said he’ll do it on Saturday. </p>
<p>On top of all this I am dealing with a very sick dog - liver disease which came on suddenly last week. 5 pills a day and can eat only rice. I will have to make an enormous batch in case we lose power (and we lose it in my town when someone sneezes.)</p>
<p>Too funny BI and that’s what I would have thought too! Staying home is a much better idea.</p>
<p>MY DS SENT ME FRIEND REQUEST ON FACEBOOK!!!</p>
<p>I’m so thrilled. I’ve never pushed the issue since he’s a great kid and does the right thing all the time, so I’ve never worried about what he says/does on FB, but I was trying to figure out how I could get him to friend me so I could keep in touch with him and see what’s he’s doing. I didn’t even have to ask!! I think it will be a nice way to chat with him on occasion and keep up with him. This came just after our wonderful weekend together scubadiving in NC. I love that guy and am sure going to miss him, but now at least I can read snippets of his life (of course I have no idea which settings he will put on me and what I can see! ;)</p>
<p>Yes, I can do without the weather worries. Definitely going into “zen” mode. It doesn’t look like we’ll be traveling through it, but Sunday is going to be awfully wet. Oh, well.</p>
<p>kinderny - I hope the gods send you half a dozen strapping young men at move-in. Could your D bring some crutches, just as a lure?</p>
<p>missy - best wishes for your trip to Chicago. Which school? I’m forgetting …</p>
<p>emily - you definitely have too much on your plate. My thoughts are with you!</p>
<p>To all of my fellow weekenders: We’ll certainly have stories to share. Let’s all be careful, not slip, and try to keep a sense of humor.</p>
<p>D is packed and cleaned and revising her papers. BF is taking her out for a nice dinner tonight. Looks like they’re going to try the long-distance thing, wow. He may end up out east himself next year anyway.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to telling my story when it’s done!</p>
<p>fogfog, EmmyBet, emilybee, mommylaw, amandakayak, thanks so much all of your for your input on the coming home/laundry issue. It really means a lot, maybe more so because it’s not a huge issue and yet I still get all these well-thought opinions! This week she did the laundry/dinner thing on Monday because she needed to pick some stuff up. She won’t be home weekends or any over-nights. She does have a couple of friends at the U who are living at home, but that’s pretty rare. I can’t wait to hear from her again (no word since Mon.) and find out the first week of classes has been. (But I won’t contact her!)</p>
<p>gsmomma, I think you’re on the right track – wait a week and see how she feels then. She definitely needs to think about what’s right for her, rather than making her dad proud, but also not just quit at a moment of high stress and then regret it later. Keep us updated!</p>
<p>kinderny, the students at Hampshire seemed very friendly and helpful sorts, though they might not be as well-organized as helpers at a state U
I think you’ll be able to get help, but there could be some waiting around time.
I hope the disability services come through to meet her needs as well!</p>
<p>emilybee, wow, sounds like a lot is descending on you at once. I hope hurricane-free weather, no power loss, and a fully recovered dog are in your near-future! (And a son who finishes packing…)</p>
<p>Kinderny, I had just injured my back prior to taking my DS to school, so I didn’t move anything. I just stood around watching the stuff that hadn’t been taken up yet. There weren’t as many helpers as I’d been led to expect, but it was still fine – when I didn’t schlep the stuff myself, people did appear to help. I think when you pull in and someone tells you where to put your car etc. you can be assertive and just say “my husband is disabled and my daughter is just recovering from an ankle injury, so we’re going to need help getting her stuff upstairs” and hopefully that will get someone to “direct” some of the helpers to your pile of stuff :)</p>
<p>GL to all dealing with Irene on top of the usual move-in stress. Be safe and make good choices, even if it means your D or S moves in a day late! </p>
<p><em>hugs</em> to everyone dealing with the roller-coaster of emotions.</p>
<p>DS finally finished packing last night. He has some odds and ends to take care of today but we will handle them as we pack the car tonight. With Irene appearing to want to help us at move-in, everthing is either in a sealed tote or a tied and taped plastic bag. All labels are fully covered with wide clear packing tape so the items can be taken to the correct dorm room. Avonmom finished laundry lesson 101 last night and DS appears to understand its not just one big load. :D</p>
<p>I was asked about taking umbrellas and my response was that if the winds are in the 40 to 50+ range, an umbrella will be gone within seconds of being opened. My half serious and half smart-a** response was to wear a bathing suit and a wet suit combination with beach shoes instead of swim fins. :eek:</p>
<p>In all seriousness, we will take umbrellas and ponchos but if the rain is sideways, it really won’t matter.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone this weekend who is facing some part of this impending storm.</p>
<p>Gsmomma- Assuming that her decision to leave the FH team is irreversible, I think waiting at least a week or two is wise. </p>
<p>Vamom-Wow. A FB friend request from your S! I’m not FB friends w/ D1, but D2 is and I can get a glimpse of D1’s status every once in a while. But D1 is mainly on Twitter these days anyway.</p>
<p>Hoping that Irene changes course and doesn’t wreak havoc on this weekends east coast move-ins. Best of luck to all.</p>
<p>VAMom- During the President’s Welcome Speech at D1’s school, he told the students “Unfriend your parents on Facebook.” He told the parents “Don’t be offended if your child unfriends you on Facebook. It is for you own good.” So far, thankfully, D1 hasn’t taken his advice! I was able to FB chat with her the other day, which was good. Our rule is that I can’t post or respond to anything on her wall that will embarrass her.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your advice. I spoke with D last night, and she seemed less stressed, but tired. The New Student Orientation keeps them going! D is planning to wait it out to see how it goes. I suggested that she speak to the coach or one of the upperclassmen who is not playing this year. The girl is also a goalie and will be doing a project abroad in the middle of the term, but she is helping with the team anyway. Today was her first day of classes, and she texted me that they all went well.</p>
<p>Keeping my fingers crossed that she makes a well thought out decision.</p>
<p>Emilybee: if you want to drive up ahead of the storm (and weather it in Maine, instead!), we have a place about an hour from Lewiston where you could stay. No one is there now since we are in the middle of our own college move-in tomorrow! PM me if you are interested.</p>
<p>Arrrgghhh. Really? As if I were not freaking out enough about sending my only child off to college and driving away,now I have to worry about driving home into Irene’s path
( we live across the road from one of the Chesapeake Bay inlets) worrying about kid being OK one end and house on the other.</p>
<p>D’s stuff fit in my van - just barely. There might be room left for our suitcases. H is dumbfounded at how much stuff she’s bringing, although I recall that D1’s sophomore year we bought the Ikea bookcase near her school and could just barely slide the very flat box under the ceiling on top of her stuff. Such is the world.</p>
<p>But we were distracted from packing by news from Adelphi that they changed move-in/convocation from Sun/Mon to Mon/Tues. I immediately called the hotel and got another night. D has been texting and FBing like crazy, was kind of disgruntled for a while but now is fine. I’m sorry things will be so topsy turvy for everyone, but this feels way better than trying to move in during a hurricane. I told her she can invite people to our hotel if they’re around and bored on Sunday, especially if the storm peters out.</p>
<p>Man, we will ALWAYS remember this move-in! And it hasn’t even happened yet!</p>
<p>A good friend of us just called - he is high up in emergency response at FEMA - he told us that everyone in the New England area needs to take this storm seriously, it is the real deal. Living in New England, we get all kinds of weather and the weather guys are usually more wrong than right…so alot of times we just roll with it. This time he said be prepared, they are expecting multi-day power outages.</p>
<p>So for everyone that is planning onmoving in this weekend, consider having a plan B.</p>
<p>What would you do? Move in is 8-3 Sat with all all the parent activities. But I know some have already moved in due to sports and jobs and such. We will be up tomorrow late afternoon. Would you call the school in the morning to see if we can get a key and drop off his things Friday evening in case we need to leave early?</p>
)</p>
I think it will be a nice way to chat with him on occasion and keep up with him. This came just after our wonderful weekend together scubadiving in NC. I love that guy and am sure going to miss him, but now at least I can read snippets of his life (of course I have no idea which settings he will put on me and what I can see! ;)</p>