We have 8 days till move in and sadly there is now a funeral for a friend and classmate on the schedule. DD got the call on Tuesday that her friend had crossed the center line on the highway near our house and hit another vehicle head on. We were at church camp all week so that helped keep DD busy and distracted which I think was very good. But now the really hard stuff is coming. Tonight she is meeting with the parents and her youth group pastor, tomorrow night is visitation, and funeral on Sunday.
I donāt mean to be a downer on the thread, we all have exciting times coming up quick! We can all be grateful our kids are with us and able to go to college, and remind them not to use their phones while driving.
Between being gone all week and the plethora of stuff on the schedule over the next week I sure hope we can get all the college stuff rounded up. The things weāve bought are piled in a corner of her room, she just needs to decide on clothing mainly.
Dorm shopping can add up, but just wait until you need to get furniture and kitchen supplies for an apartmentā¦
My D lived in an apartment with roommates for the last three years, and now in a one bedroom. She still needed things because each roommate contributed with pots/pans/plates, one brought a TV and another table and chairs and a couch.
First day of school for D21 and S23 today. Way too early if you ask me. Every year it has been earlier and earlier. It makes me sad looking back at my Facebook memories and seeing that on this day on the past years were were up in MA and ME.
D19 is still asleep but I will be waking her up soon. Today is the last day we can send boxes and have them delivered right to her dorm room and we havenāt even packed the boxes yet!
This is the week friends are starting to leave for college. D has had a few goodbyes but the hardest will be when one of her two BFFs leaves in a few days. There are three girls who have been friends since kindergarten - one is going to Tulane with D and the other is going to CO. That will even be a hard one for me!
Posting here because thereās no Co2025 board: In sadder news, we got word that someone who was in my D25ās sister class (classes were paired in her schoolāit was a Kā6 elementary schoolāand they frequently exchanged students between the pairs, so they all knew each other) died last week in a boating accident up in northern Alaska. D25 wasnāt really all that close to him, but her best friend (who will be going to a different middle school?) hung out with him a fair amount.
D25 and that friend plus the other two who regularly played with them on the playground are scheduled for a last get-together this weekend before they split off to their three different schools. Probably going to be less of a party atmosphere than originally planned, you know??
@bjscheel So sorry to hear about your Dās friend.
Good luck to all of those who are still working on getting their kidsā stuff together, and congratulations to those few who have already sent their kids off.
Since D19 is only starting on the 1st and already has most of her stuff, we havenāt really started shopping yet. However, other ex-classmates are already leaving, and there are multiple good bye parties. Most are pretty low-key - the kids mostly sit around and reminisce. Since some of them have been friends since kindergarten or even daycare, that takes up a lot of time. Evidently many tears are being shed as well (by all genders). D19 and her friends have also taken to seeing different places in Chicagoland, and She has also made sure that we have a family brunch at a different location in Chicagoland every Sunday.
We will be setting out at the end of the month and driving to Vermont via Toronto (my W has a cousin in Toronto who has a kid the same age as D19, and who is also starting college this fall). A couple of days in VT, the parent orientation, and back to the empty nest. Since I am absolutely sure that DD will not finish cleaning her room, we may have to make some order there.
My wife had a conference in Alaska last week, so D19 and I joined her, and spent a few days together in our last family trip. It was great, though one of the hikes that she insisted that the two of us do was quite challenging for me (my wife was doing conference-type stuff). Oh, and on a hike to see a glacier, we were treated to a close encounter with a black bear. In fact, it was too close for our tastes, considering that it was about 50 ft away, and on the trail. We did not end up seeing the glacier. However, we did see some salmon being naughty in a stream not that far away.
@dfbdfb Sorry to hear of another tragedy . Here we have gotten through visitation and funeral. This morning DD and several others went to Build A Bear and made animals in memory of their friend to take to college. They found videos that they could use to put her voice as a sound in the animals. Another step in their process (DD also got a henna tattoo at the fair for her, has been wearing the shirt we bought at friendās garage sale, etc.).
So today she did that and will be giving a presentation for work tonight; Tuesday work 9 hours; Wednesday go to zoo with friends; Thursday ortho appointment; Friday better be packing! Move in is Saturday. Last night boyfriend decided to try to get the day off and go with. Weāll see if heās successful. DDā17 is planning on going. Weāre going to be āthatā family with 4-5 people present and roommate has the same time slot so it may get crowded. Oh wellā¦
@bjscheel what a horrible tragedy. I must say Iāve been on pins and needles the last two weeks as there have been many going away parties, etc. You hear these sad stories and know it happens all too often. Iām so sorry it has happened in your community and to someone your daughter knows.
We leave tomorrow with S19. He moves in to his temporary housing then into his dorm suite on Sunday. I told him to email his coach to confirm that he is definitely moving in on Sunday as we are driving up with the rest of his stuff. His coach responded yes, but that with their practice schedule, etc., he only has an hour (from 12-1pm) to move from one dorm to the other as well as unload all the rest of his stuff. Sucks because itās a 5 hour drive and now we wonāt get back until later on Sunday than we planned.
Meanwhile we raced around today buying last minute things and getting his power of attorney/health proxy signed and notarized. Couldnāt do it sooner because Dh has been OOT for work so much. Also fit in appt for his passport application today (going to visit D17 later this semester overseas and heās only one of our kids w/o a passport). We havenāt packed anything yet-just piles of stuff in garage and clothes sorted with stuff he needs this week and what we are bringing on Sunday. I told him Iām relaxing for an hour after our crazy day then I will get it all organized.
As sad as I am that we say goodbye to S19 and D17 this week, Iām looking forward to next week where I can chill for two weeks until my younger two go back to h.s.!
Move-in day for S19 is next Monday. Anyone elseās kid seeming āclingyā? Not just for home and family - although he has laid out quite the slate of movies and board games for our next week - but for friends and town? He went to the first-day ceremonies for his old high school, is having lunches with former teachers and friends, is walking around the park where he used to play as a little kidā¦
@SammoJ I think that sounds really sweet that your boy is revisiting things from the past. It sounds like he has a good grip on his emotions and the reality of going away to college and is doing a really helpful thing in anticipation of the big change coming up. My daughter isnāt doing that yet, but with her start at the end of the September we still have time for that to happen ; ) Good luck with move in next week! Let us know how it goesā¦
@4kids4us you really hit on how Iām feeling when you mentioned being on pins and needles. I didnāt really realize the constant low level anxiety thatās been under the surface for me until I read your post. My girl has been doing a lot of driving to the beach (an hour away from us across bridges and on curvy roads) and other Bay Area road trips with friends that involve a lot of driving. While Iām so glad sheās having fun and sheās a great driver, anything can happen, as @bjscheel knows too well. I always breath a little sigh of relief when sheās back home. We need to let them fly, but still want to keep them safe.
@SammoJ my DD has become increasingly sentimental about home/family/friends/community over the past several months. One of the captions she put with a senior pic on Instagram was āHow lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hardā. I think itās a Winnie the Pooh quote.
@SammoJ totally. The reminiscing is exhausting. I just want S19 to go now. (Well I donāt but every day brings another friend to say goodbye to and this is just prolonging the inevitable!)
@bjsheel and @dfbdfb I am so sorry to hear about the tragedies that have impacted your children and communities. Strength to your kids and to all affected.
My S19 is clinging to his friends but not too interested in us at the moment. Iām hoping to see him long enough to figure out what clothes he intends to take - heās been sleeping in D16ās old room and his entire bed and dresser are just covered in clothes! We leave Monday afternoon for a Tuesday move-in so Iām expecting to pack this stuff up in the wee hours of Monday morning. I think I did my last Amazon order this morning. He has everything but toiletries, snacks and school supplies (which he could probably scrounge up in his room). I think we might just go and get this stuff after we move him in since orientation doesnāt really start until Wednesday.
@bjscheel So sorry to hear about your DDās friend.
S19 has given no signs yet of being interested in any type of packing or prep for dorm life. He leaves in less than 3 weeks. Oh well. I warned him not to leave the packing for right before we fly in case he wants my (or D16ās) help.
He found out today that he got named to a scholarship program in the math department that gives him 3 years of undergraduate research money and a stipend for 3 summers. That was unexpected and very welcome!
Dās wisdom teeth removal last Thursday was a success. She was in and out of the surgery suite in fifteen minutes flat, she took some hilarious videos of herself on the anesthetics, and she back to daily exercise as of Sunday. Weāve packed up all her clothes sheās taking and she ordered special space saving hangers. I moved our rental vehicle up a day to give myself time for some car Tetris, and my D20ās custom tutu is finally on its way for her photo shoot while we are in Philly. Also, Dās scholarship finally paid her bill so thatās not hanging over our head anymore. Whew!
. Here we have gotten through visitation and funeral. This morning DD and several others went to Build A Bear and made animals in memory of their friend to take to college. They found videos that they could use to put her voice as a sound in the animals. Another step in their process (DD also got a henna tattoo at the fair for her, has been wearing the shirt we bought at friendās garage sale, etc.).