Tranquil - I’m so sorry to hear of your mother’s passing and your father’s poor health. So much to deal with. Hugs to you, and to Barbalot.
My D seems to be happy so far. She did feel quite overwhelmed with work last week, but seems to be more settled this week. She also ruined her favorite white shirt in the washer. Something was left behind by the previous launderer. That was a mild crisis. It has been hot at night (I’m sure this is a common complaint everywhere) so not sleeping particularly well, but this last bit of rain should cool things off. She is enjoying being part of her athletic team, as it created a sense of belonging very early. The upperclassmen have been helpful to the younger students with academic advice, help with laptops, etc.
We text everyday, and she constantly requests pics of the dog. I suspect she misses the dog more than her parents 
. We are happy she is off to a good start, though I do find myself holding my breath. My S’12 didn’t make it through his first year of college (and that’s ok, it wasn’t for him.).
I hope the other kiddos are doing well.
@VMT, your D sounds a lot like mine! She is doing well and seems happy, and is always chiding me about not sending enough pics of the dog.
@suzy100 And I am constantly trying to get unique pictures (him being cute, an action shot, smiling) but there are only so many different things the dog does! Yesterday I got a pic of him scoping out an ant that would be dessert.
D’s first day of classes is today. She only has one class on TuTh. Tomorrow she will have the other three classes (MWF). She is pretty excited to finally be able to start classes. H and I are placing bets on how much books will be 
Lol, Re: dog. When I Skype home, my mom uses her tablet, so sometimes she tries to hold it so I can see our dog. But she always runs away, she seems scared of me in the tablet. So I usually just see a smudge moving away. She’s really my mom’s dog though, not mine.
My son didn’t want to Skype our pets, but I did send him a video of them via Google Drive.
For books, there are usually cheaper alternatives available, and eBay is often the cheapest. A lot of Goodwill stores have eBay accounts and donations of textbooks are pretty frequent.
Just by using Amazon, my son saved $150 on a single textbook used instead of new. And the bookstore used was still a lot more even.
For books we mainly used amazon to buy or rent. My daughter also found http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com/ to check prices of multiple places at once
I’m really enjoying reading about all of the kids and their first weeks in their new environments. It’s great to see that so many are making it through those first busy, exciting and sometimes confusing weeks.
Well, S just left yesterday for his pre-orientation backpacking trip. They will get back on Tuesday and move into dorms that day. I am flying out on Sunday. I’ll pick up the BB&B stuff on Monday and help him move in on Tuesday and fly home on Wednesday. Seems like a lot of travel to see him for one day, but a Mom’s got to do what a Mom’s got to do!
Have to admit, I thought it would be a lot easier for me when #2 went to college…it’s not. Same waves of emotion…they just started later! I’m glad that S’s hard work has resulted in this wonderful opportunity, but I am a bit sad that he is going to be so far away!
Started sending doggie pictures last night.
D skyped with dog. He was a little freaked out. Pawed the screen then walked away.
I just found out that if I could get an internship with Cessna, they would PAY FOR FLIGHT TRAINING!!! OMG! I absolutely have to apply there. It sounds like it’s not uncommon for them to hire students for the summer prior to their sophomore year either, which I didn’t know. I also hung out in the lab with some guys in the rocket club and asked them tons of questions and helped a bit with the construction of their large rocket they’re building.
Good initiative, @albert69 !
We almost have everything now. My daughter used white board markers for a countdown calendar on our hall mirror. 13 days to move-in. The volume of STUFF is getting a bit overwhelming.
Hmm. I just got my first chem test back… high B. Back to the books, I need to do better than that.
No calls or texts asking for help with anything this week…I think that’s progress! Although we’d love a phone call with an update…
Yesterday was the first time I got homesick… I had/have a cold and I so wished I could curl up on my couch and watch one of my favorite movies. But I went and hung out with my best friend in the evening and watched Titanic.
OK, @albert69, if you hadn’t told us you were a girl already, hanging out and watching Titanic would have given it away for sure. 
I hope you feel better soon! Vitamin C, B-12, and some hot tea with honey and lemon will help, too.
@Loganator Lol, so true. It was the first time I’d seen that movie. I actually had tea and honey as well as raw garlic (sorry suitemates) and am feeling tons better today, just some residual congestion.
Aww, my little sister is starting to search for scholarships. I messaged her with some links to NMF and automatic scholarships.
Although garlic is good for you - swap it out for fresh ginger - your suite mates will thank you!
@singermom4 I didn’t bring that… I only ate it once and brushed my teeth afterwards. It’s not like I eat it all the time. They weren’t really around much yesterday anyway.