<p>Launching is tomorrow. S was finishing packing today and announced he was done. I went in his room and started asking “What about this?” “Are you going to take this?” He got a little snippy with me and I asked him straight out “Are you freaking out?” He said “No, I just hate packing” Then he paused and said “OK, Maybe I’m freaking out a little. Can you help me finish packing?” So I did. Then I gave him a hug before all his friends showed up. They’ve gone to Taco Bell. Car will be loaded at 11 and we’ll be on the road by noon at the latest. Here goes… </p>
<p>@Overtheedge – After everything that your daughter has gone through over the last several months it is truly heartwarming to hear that life is going well. You must be thrilled. And BTW, I don’t know if you saw the article on the op-ed page of the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago deploring the HYPS-type schools as abandoning their liberal arts roots and becoming trade schools for brokerage houses (Google something like “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”). Anyway, the author notes a few schools where one can get a top-flight true liberal arts education, and Sewanee was one of the schools mentioned.</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom – Well, somehow it’s only fitting that you’re one of the last families to launch. Best of luck tomorrow. It’s wonderful that the two of you can share this experience together.</p>
<p>@AsleepAtTheWheel - thank you for your kind words. Yes, a few months ago I honestly didn’t know if she would be at college now. I know we may have some bumps ahead, but I am so very grateful to be where we are today. I literally cried tears of joy after I talked to her. There is a tradition of the Sewanee angel and I think one is watching over D. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone about to launch!</p>
<p>I don’t want to go to sleep because I really don’t want it to be tomorrow yet. I know I’ll get through it and I’ll be ok, but I’m dreading tomorrow. </p>
<p>I freaked out Tuesday because not a stitch of clothing had been packed. Wednesday I offered to put DD hair up “because I wanted to pamper her one more time”. She patted my hand and said she liked to pamper me too and that’s why she finished packing.</p>
<p>I hate being humored.</p>
<p>Well we leave with my oldest today. We’re going to go visit my mom tonight, then drop him off tomorrow. And I’ll be an empty nester officially tomorrow night. Since we’ll be in upstate NY we’re going over to Canada to Niagara Falls for the weekend. </p>
<p>I cried a little yesterday. It can hit me in a flash. And when my daughter saw how upset I was after her brother went to school and how he never responded to texts and never called - she declared, of course I’ll keep in touch, especially at first! Nope, no time is good to call, texts are really dwindling, questions like - how do I pay your sorority bill and make sure to sign us up for parents homecoming events go unanswered. </p>
<p>I actually know it means she’s so happy and fine and busy she thinks she’ll get to it later. </p>
<p>2016BarnardMom, my sympathy and empathy. I only have one, and the worst was the drive home afterward. But with a little help from my friends, I’ve been ok, trying to keep busy. And it’s just wonderful to hear from my kid who is happy, happy, happy.</p>
<p>Just popping in to share that my kid is happy, happy, happy too. SO happy and having so much ‘fun’ that now I’m just a little worried!</p>
<p>But, seriously, isn’t it interesting that one text saying, “I really like it here Mom,” is better than any sleeping pill? I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in MONTHS. Three weeks after moving him in and hearing that he’s happy, I’m sleeping like a baby.</p>
<p>And we just got our school tax bill, so the DH is fretting over cash flow this month. I should have bitten my tongue, but I had to remind him that there was a reason I wasn’t terribly comfortable with his “Don’t worry about it; we’ll find a way to pay” for the pricey dream schools.</p>
<p>The Case Western news is heartbreaking. I know it’s irrational, but I hate small planes (and motorcycles)! :-(</p>
<p>Well, that was not as bad as I thought!!!</p>
<p>We left D at school yesterday around 5 pm. It had been a crazy couple of days packing, then the 3.5 hour drive, overnight in a hotel, and up early to go check in. Her roommate, an international, was already in the dorm and let us in early, so we beat the rush of other families AND unloaded the car before the wicked heat & humidity set in. D’s room looks amazing, so very welcoming, homey and comforting. She’d bought an oriental rug on craigslist and lots of posters and tapetries and throw pillows.</p>
<p>She knew her dorm room would have a window seat, but it was really stunning: a huge bay window overlooking a lake with a bed-sized window seat. She’d bought a quilt at a yard sale over the weekend (from, believe it or not, an alumna of her school!) and with that and the pillows it was a really cozy scene.</p>
<p>We had lunch at the family picnic together, then did the parent orientation event, then took D and her roommate to Target so the roommate could buy some bedding. Then it was time to say goodbye. I did cry -though less than I expected- and I just didn’t want to stop hugging her. But I also felt really good about this place we were leaving her, and she was so clearly happy and ready to be there.</p>
<p>I wish I could post a photo here so I could show you guys a screenshot of the text we just received from her… She sent us a video of a small, cluttered science room -filled with bones and specimens and books and microscopes- that her academic advisor had just given her the key to, and told her, “It’s your room, too, now.” It’s where the upper classmen do entomology research (her passion.) Her text said, “This is the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the world.”</p>
<p>She also left a note for us -that we found when we got home late last night- that said, “I will be thinking of you both. Don’t worry - you did a great job! All my love…”</p>
<p>This is hard, but these things definitely help make it easier. I feel very blessed right now :)</p>
<p>Son is successfully launched! After trying out several different furniture configurations, S finally settled on one, which is good because his dad was getting a little perturbed at that point! While we were unpacking stuff, a girl he knows from another high school in the area came by his room to chat. We got him mostly unpacked and had some time before his roommate was due to arrive so we headed out to get some food. On the way out, we ran into the valedictorian from the 2013 class at our high school and chatted with her for a few. We grabbed something to eat, went back to his room, met the roommate, parents and brother of the roommate (who is also a student at Michigan) and said our goodbyes. Since my ex-husband completely broke down, I managed to keep it together. On the way home, he asked me “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” I said “I’m going to learn how to quilt.” Somehow, that sounded inadequate. I’m doing ok though. I put away the ethernet cables that have been running from our router to my son’s room for the past bazillion years making me crazy. Now what?</p>
<p>@staceyneil That’s awesome that she has access to amazing science space like that. I work with a bunch of entomologists. If she can do an unpaid internship next summer I might have some ideas. Her note for you is so sweet! </p>
<p>Heading to the end of the first week of classes it seems (from the school FB group) that some students are overwhelmed and not exactly happy yet. Its a roller coaster with many challenges from how to print on campus to how the meal plan works to how to structure their time now that they don’t have seven classes every day with tons of busywork. I can’t wait to talk to my son this weekend. We chatted online yesterday to got some books ordered together. He was sore from Ultimate Frisbee practice. Otherwise no complaints! </p>
<p>2016BarnardMom: Do not joke about the quilting remark. There is nothing wrong with taking up a new hobby or starting a new project. I love to cross stitch. I just started making a tree skirt for my older son, who plans to give it as a wedding present to a good friend. It gives me great joy knowing that someone will love what I did, and it will be in her family for years to come. One of my teaching friends does quilt, and she is outstanding at it. She travels all over for conferences and has friends all over. She has one daughter in college, while the other just graduated.</p>
<p>So when your child leaves, this gives you a chance to do something that maybe you have wanted to do, but put it off because you needed to run to this game or help out with that project. </p>
<p>Do not feel badly about doing something new or different for you.</p>
<p>The other night, my husband and I went to dinner. The bill was a reasonable amount, not like when we have two young adults joining us!</p>
<p>@staceyneil and @2016BarnardMom - So glad you had successful launches! I don’t have the patience or sewing skills for quilting. My project is going to be cleaning out, organizing and updating the house. That, along with my job, should keep me busy. Plus, I haven’t spent much time with my friends the past few months so I think a few more happy hours will be on the agenda (don’t have to rush home to cook dinner!)</p>
<p>As a former quilter, if you want something to sink your time and money into, this is the hobby for you. I plan to take it up again as soon as my last one leaves the house.</p>
<p>@crowlady Thank you! I think she would be very interested in hearing about internship leads. This upcoming summer she will likely need a paid job (or at least split part time between paid and unpaid) however, her school provides funding for an unpaid internship for each student after sophomore year… so that could work out. I will PM you…</p>
<p>@staceyneil so nice to read of your daughter’s happy launch. Not sure if I ever posted that my daughter was thisclose to going to Mt. Holyoke, but in the end she decided on RIT. Completely different type of school. I know I would have chosen MoHo, but it wasn’t my decision to make, and so far so good at the huge techy school instead of the small liberal arts school. But I do look forward to more stories of good experiences for your D at Mt. Holyoke.</p>
<p>@crowlady I’ve been finding the FB posts pretty interesting too. My D is not experiencing any of that, or if she is she’s not telling me. I doubt she’s overwhelmed, she went to a big (close to 500 in her grad class) public HS and experienced all types of teachers and all the noise and confusion of lots of kids around all the time. I do wonder if others from smaller schools are learning to deal with just the volume of people around, besides being away, where the printers are, what’s on the meal plan and how to get through calculus. </p>
<p>Long weekend coming up, hope she’ll find some time to call or Skype. Last weekend she went to the grocery store and got a sunburn waiting for the bus back. She’s learned one thing, Rochester is not really “always cloudy.” </p>
<p>I agree that taking up a new hobby is a great thing to do now, it just doesn’t sound like enough to do “for the rest of my life”. I am figuring I can piece a few things so after my surgery, I can focus on the quilting. Seems like a good thing to do when I’m mainly only comfortable sitting. I have done cross stitching and crocheting in the past. I crocheted an afghan when I had my last surgery. I also used to paint ceramics but it is harder to find places to do that now. </p>
<p>It looks like I will be making a trip to Ann Arbor on Sunday to drop off a coax cable. The boys have a TV and the school provides the cable TV service, but they have no coax cable to hook it up!</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom I bet they sell coax cables in the bookstore! I actually had to insist my DS bring one even though he claimed he didn’t need one and now he’s glad he did. </p>
<p>We have a bunch here, really long ones too and they need a pretty long one. He also ordered some text books to the house that should come today or tomorrow and I’ll run them over as well. It’s not that far anyway 
Good excuse to pop over (and perhaps remind me how close it is!)</p>
<p>I just mailed my daughter’s yoga mat. I guess $7.50 for priority mail (plus an hour creating a box) is worth less than buying a new one with carrying strap.</p>
<p>I have been trying to meet up with one friend every day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, whatever. Today’s the second day since I got home 8 days ago that I don’t have a “date,” but of course the laundromat beckons!</p>