If you like grapefruit…have you tried Bittermilk #5 charred grapefruit tonic? It’s absolutely amazing with mezcal.
1 Like
I believe I actually did have a bottle of that once, but I honestly can’t remember what I was doing with it (probably a good sign?). Probably not mezcal, though, so that sounds like something I need to check out!
1 Like
Indeed they’re entirely flexible about the specific soda used. I think it’s just too damned hot in the summer for them to get pedantic about it! I’ve had it with Sprite, 7-up, all sorts of flavors of Fanta/Casera/Aquarius, etc. And who knows what soda is in the pre-made Tinto sold in cans/bottles.
2 Likes
DH & I were shocked when D24 let DH watch part of Alice in Wonderland with her and her friends yesterday. 
Need to find a good place for DH & I to eat dinner on Fri and Sat nights near D24’s college. Looks like there might be a couple of possibilities for movies to go see that weekend, so we’ll distract ourselves before we get on the plane to go home on Sun night of move-in weekend.
3 Likes
Random note.
So apparently pre-med is now maybe sorta probably not but maybe on the table. Up until now, this was supposedly definitely certainly don’t ask again not on the table. But apparently just a couple remarks from future fellow students along the lines of, “Huh, given what you just said, you should consider med school,” have cracked open that door.
We’ll see, it may just be a quickly passing thing, but it shows how the clay is not exactly dry yet for a lot of these kids.
13 Likes
Yes, yes, and yes!
6 Likes
Don’t forget the arm so his microphone doesn’t take up any precious desk space! My kiddo says it counts as school supplies!
1 Like
Mixed signals last night on whether reality has set in for S24 that we are leaving today.
Comes to NiceUnparticularMom in a panic. Needs to buy much more of his favorite dental floss. Not sure if he can get it in St Louis.
Comes to NiceUnparticularMom and says we are out of his favorite sliced cheese, so she can put it on the grocery list for the next time she shops. She has to explain only he likes it, so . . . .
13 Likes
Awww, safe travels to the NiceUnparticularFam!
4 Likes
When D22 left for college, I had a meltdown at the grocery store. Seeing all the things I no longer needed to buy and reducing the amount for other items made it hit home that she was gone. I predict the same will happen the first time I shop after dropping off D24. This time I will come prepared with Kleenex.
13 Likes
So the other day a coworker was kinda making fun of me for taking two days to drive about 9 hours total, and in fact she specifically mentioned her family had recently made that same drive in one day.
Meanwhile, it is now well after noon in CasaUnparticular, and there is still packing going on. ETD? Unknown.
Point being you have to know who you are working with, and plan accordingly.
15 Likes
We are home from dropping S24 down South. He has been very open about how nervous he is to leave home and the few days leading up to departure were rough, to say the least. He said “I know I will be fine and I know I picked the right school but I had no idea how hard it would be to leave and it feels really overwhelming”. I am so glad he at least feels comfortable sharing his feelings.
We flew down on Sunday and stopped at a place for lunch on the way to the hotel. He was quiet and a little teary in the car after lunch. Once we checked into the hotel we all decided to go to the pool because it was super hot and that ended up being really fun.
Move-in was the next day and he was actually great all day. His roommate moved in at the same time which as chaotic as it was, made it a little easier for him I think. We had a late lunch after move-in and then he got a text from the frat that they wanted him at the house. The SEC frats do not mess round 
I was prepared for him to be already spending time at the house so DH and I went back to the hotel to decompress a bit and met up with him for dinner later that night.
The following day we did a Target run to grab odds and ends, had a yummy lunch and then it was back to frat house again. DH and I did our own thing again and then we met up for our final dinner and to say goodbye. He got a little teary as we hugged but already had plans to go to a hall mate’s room to play PS 5 right after we left. DH and I held it together until we received the most wonderful text he sent to us and his D26 sister who was not on the trip with us. Thanked us for the “most wonderful childhood that prepared him for this day” and assorted other things I cannot even type because I will cry all over again. Both DH and I were a wreck after reading it, but also just so proud. He really is a nice boy 
We flew home yesterday and he face timed us last night on his way to a rush event. He looks and seems happy (and exhausted from frat stuff already- it is going to be a long couple of months) and I think misses the dog and his sister more than anything. I love that they have such a close relationship, but it also makes it hard.
I do keep forgetting he is gone- was weird waking up this morning and seeing him room door open and the window shades open. We are installing a little camera in the dogs favorite spot so he can log on and see him whenever he wants. Anyone else feel like their kid misses the pets the most?
Now it is on to manage junior year for D26!!
33 Likes
I think it is fantastic that you are able to step back and narrate / comment on the packing up process in real time.
5 Likes
Your whole post made me cry! I can totally feel everyone’s emotions through your writing, and I LOVE that he thanked you - what an exceptional person.
Definitely, my D24 will miss our dog the most - love that you installed the camera!
4 Likes
Hope everyone’s packing/moving transitions are going well. We returned a couple of days back from dropping off S24 at Purdue and I have been all over the place emotionally. He was so excited to start off on his journey so saying goodbye was not as wrought as I thought it would be. But, seeing his room empty was a kick to the heart as was sitting down to dinner just the three of us.
Btw, to second and third all your move in advice, those ikea style bags did handle well for check in luggage. We double bagged the heavier ones as advised. Just be careful with pushing them on hard surfaces. The ones we got from Amazon (Veno brand) get scraped easily. And pack a thin pair of scissors or a razor blade to open the zip ties!
We had a couple of lazy days together in the area before move in date. Saw the town, picked up some supplies that we had missed, met up with some friends in the area and some friends of mine from HS whose kid also chose the same school. Mon was move in and Purdue had a great system setup. We got to move in a few hours earlier than our slot as there were not many new students in S24’s dorm. The room itself was huge and had such high ceilings that even with the lofted bed, he could sit up and read in bed if he wanted to. He was keen to stay the night in the room so we met up with him the next morning for some merch shopping at the bookstore and picking up the free Proud mom/dad shirts before a quick lunch at the dining hall and hugs goodbye. The drive back to Chicago was hard.
S24 is having a great time at orientation and meeting up with new people. Having to be ok with not knowing what he is upto or who he is hanging out with has been the hardest. Hoping to hear more details soon.
13 Likes
I moved D24 in last Friday and she seems to be adjusting well. We have spoken on the phone once and have texted every day, and she is currently quite busy doing a 1 hour class this week where she does a community service project at a local elementary school in the morning, has class in the afternoon, and then they all have dinner together. She did it so she could move in early, and it’s also a good way to settle in and meet people in a structured fashion. They are also doing sorority recruitment this week and the first year thing that is like day camp for college students, which I do not think she would have enjoyed, based on what I have seen on instagram.
To keep in touch I do Wordle every morning and send her the graphic of how many tries, and then she does the same. The only less than ideal thing so far is that she texted last night she had broken her treasured cat mug. The exact one is sold out online and not available on ebay, so she picked out a replacement on amazon, and it is on the way.
11 Likes
Reading this made my eyes leaky! Man, next week’s drop off for our kid is going to be HARD!
8 Likes
Finally checking in a few days after Sunday dropoff. Empty nesting has been really hard. I’ve had to remind DH not to text her more than say, twice a day. Now don’t tell me he shouldn’t be texting her–we know that in a perfect world, we’d leave it to her. I have been avoiding texting her so that she doesn’t get regular parental interruptions! But she’s been good about updating us. As some of you know, I’m an English professor, and she sent me her first month of the literature syllabus in a screenshot this morning. DH said, “She knows what you want to see!” More importantly, though, she has sent us some pics of her and old and new friends socializing and doing fun beginning-of-school things. Apparently there is a “jumping in the fountain after the first day of class” tradition. I’m just sad and I miss her. It doesn’t help that I can’t distract myself with fun because I got a lovely Moh’s skin cancer surgery yesterday. But I’m looking forward to being done with the recovery after a couple of days, and able to go out as well as just buckling down and working. I put a little stuffed dog mascot from her college on the dashboard so I can have company while I’m driving to work. 
18 Likes
Made D24 order her dorm fridge today. Bought through Target and it’ll be delivered to the mail room on campus. Mail room sends students an email to their school email address when a package has arrived for them. D24 called school earlier this week to confirm that it’s ok to start having packages sent.
Walmart had a cheaper base price, but they charged $59 for shipping and there was no option to pick up in the store. Target’s price was $30 more expensive, but had free shipping, so less expensive than Walmart overall. D24 used some Target gift cards that people gave her for graduation.
The college she’s going to doesn’t have an option to rent it, nor are there companies which will come and deliver it and then pick it up at the end of the school year.
DH wants us to suggest things to D24 like labelling your food in the fridge with your name, but I’m holding off on mentioning stuff like that so the kid can figure it out. Besides, we’ll have 15 hr of driving next Thursday, so there’s plenty of time to talk about random stuff like that when we are stuck in a small confined space for an entire day. LOL
5 Likes
Spotted a woman in target of about my age, filling a cart with what I recognized as dorm room first aid/ medical kit supplies, and I resisted the URGE to ask “where is yours going, when do they leave…”
Also was there to restock on D24’s favorite jam, even though I said “but you’re gone in less than a week” she wants it for when she comes home.
AND, was pleasantly surprised that the 3 month refill of her ADHD medication was totally painless (they typically only release 28days at a time) and so she is good for the semester, basically. We will hold some in reserve here to restock at fall break, but it’s a relief to know she has a semester’s worth available.
10 Likes