Yep @stemmmm future empty nester here too. S18 is my homebody kid. But, he wants to go OOS. We’ll see how we handle that.
I have been known to Beverly Goldberg (yes, it’s a verb in our home) many a thing. :))
I would have been an empty nester, except my elderly mother moved in with house after my dad passed away last year. We have a mother-in-law suite in our basement and she is happily in residence there. Not exactly the same thing as having a teenager, but she doesn’t drive so I am back in the chauffer mode, LOL. She splits her time between us here on the east coast and my sister in California so I will be a partial empty nester I guess.
No downsizing for us in the foreseeable future, although we have been renovating with an eye towards resale. Started with updating the already existing suite in the basement (our old nanny used to live there) and have moved on to our bathrooms. Three bathrooms down, two to go!
As for distance – DD will be a short flight away, or a 5.5 hour drive. The two in-state schools she even considered (but didn’t apply to) are 3 and 4.5 hours away (UVA and Virginia Tech) so 5.5 is not that big a stretch. Her brother is about the same distance. We live 15 minutes from a major airport and all have global entry so security is easy. DS’s last athletic season was this fall and DH and I made every home game because it was so easy to fly or drive to his campus.
We won’t be empty nesters with D18 far away next year, but things will certainly be different. I have a 20 year old son, adopted internationally at age 16, who might be leaving for college this fall as well. (That English subtest of the GED is really tough for ELLs! He’s almost there.) If they both go, I’ll be down to three kids at home, and the busiest of them all, S20, will be driving. <:-P Of course I will miss D18, and my 20 year old if he launches, but…I’m tired. :))
Empty nest here, too, but since we’ve just taken in a third cat, I’ll just accelerate straight on into crazy cat lady. 
Will be empty nesters as well - DiotimaDM, I’m thinking of fostering kittens. We got two babies last summer that replaced our elderly kitty (the last one) and enjoy them so much, I’m thinking fostering might keep the crazy part of cat lady at bay for a few years.
DD will be heading 900 miles - 13 hr drive or 3-5 hours via plane - not nearly far enough for her liking 
DS went 8 miles, then we moved to Texas 1950 miles away when he was in college, then he came to Texas for grad school - now he is back in NV. Nevada 1950 miles away again.
I know that 900 miles is not nearly far enough for DD and suspect that grad school will take her further. DS is currently a traveling PT so I hope he travels back this way sometime soon.
I’ve no desire to have my kids far away - maybe it’s selfish but I want them close by. I miss them terribly and want to remain an active part of their adult lives. I don’t want peace and quiet, I like my kids and their accompanying noise.
No empty nest here, either. Our daughter is our first off to college but I have another daughter who is a freshman in high school. She was also an international adoption and needed to repeat second grade to catch up with English. Happy to have an extra year with her at home!
I will be an empty nester and I’m kind of looking forward to it. Of course I will miss D - and I’m positive I’ll miss her singing and playing piano from the other room - but I’m also ready for time for myself. I will likely squander said time watching bad reality TV.
DD’18 has been accepted to the University of Colorado - Boulder with a generous merit scholarship! So happy for her. We may have to make a visit.
This is my first of three who’ll be going off but I can totally relate to the mixed feelings when the they’re all gone. I’m always so excited when Thing 1 does something new, but bittersweet when Thing 3 does the same :-?
Happy to see good news again!
I’ve been playing with maps today. Schools in the running for S range 200-1700 miles away, average 850. Lots of car or air time in his future!
Oh and not even close to empty nest. 6th grader on board
No empty nest here either. We have a 1st grader at home.
@glido , congratulations on the acceptance!
Empty nest, too, thinking about downsizing and moving closer to hubby’s place of a employment.
Oh my, this is my first to go, I have two behind him with my youngest in 4th grade…but just thinking about dropping my son at school brings tears to my eyes. I will be a mess when the time comes…
We don’t have the official notification yet, but S has a State finalist supplement in his Elks portal, so it looks like he’s advanced to state finals.
If anyone else has applied, check the ISTS portal.
We’ll be empty nesters next year, and I’m not looking forward to it. I might have to get another puppy . . . .I’m definitely starting to think about our next house, but we have improvements to make before we can sell.
@SnowflakeDogMom I have loved bottle raising the week-old baby S found at school, but I would be a crazy cat lady for sure if I became a regular fosterer. I’d want to keep them ALL!
I have a friend with four kids, three away at college. She has turned into foster puppy lady. Our local shelter isn’t equipped to care for the newborn puppies that are dumped, so my friend takes them in 2-3 at a time. She never keeps them because then she couldn’t foster more newborn babies. But, she posts photos of their adorable faces on Facebook and her friends can’t resist and end up formally rescuing them (Exhibit A over here).
I don’t think I’ll ever be an empty nester. My youngest will be class of 2024. And I have one who I think might need some support through life.
I am also the only one of my siblings capable of caring for my mom as she ages. She is very high energy and she might very well keep me as busy as my kids ever did.
I also hope to continue to raise a service puppy every year but if I can’t make a full time commitment to that, I’ll still want to puppy sit service puppies. No matter what is happening on a given day, my puppies cheer me up. Participating in their training gives me a sense of purpose that might make up a little for what I will miss when I’m no longer training my human kids.
Not an empty nester yet. This is our first to go to college and she is going far away. I also have a son who is a freshman. I am already a wreck. Can’t imagine how I will be in 3 years. Do NOT watch Ladybird, or Brad’s Status. Or, pretty much anything on the Hallmark channel. Actually, I think I need to just stay away from TV completely!
Not empty nestier until 2023.