Well, we are on the way to take S25 to school. So far the van has pros (it’s definitely big enough for all of our stuff, and a comfortable ride) but also cons (we rented from Turo, since none of the normal rental places had vans left, and the renter before us apparently backed into something so one taillight is broken. The owner taped it up, so we shouldn’t get pulled over, but it’s junky looking). But the biggest issue with the car so far? There’s a mosquito in the van with us. We have so far been unable to kill it but watching everyone try and dance around to avoid it or swat it is making me laugh so hard I’m trying to not pee my pants…
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We fly out one week from today! Eek! Has D25 started packing yet? No, she has not! 
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I call tell my anxiety is ramping up. I can’t stop placing Amazon orders. No. More. Orders. Seriously, there is no way anything else will fit in our small SUV.
Many of S25’s friends are leaving this week for UTK. He was pretty sad this morning, but he did go up to the high school with one of his besties to get their yearbooks and say goodbye to favorite teachers. He’s just about the last one left in town at this point.
I will miss this kid so much. We have the exact same sense of humor and no one makes me laugh as much as he does. My heart is hurting today.
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Update from the road - my husband drives much slower than I do. This drive to school is going to take longer than the drive down last month for orientation.
Our Mosquito Era is over. We killed it. Along with its friends the gnat and the fly (clearly we were loading the van during a particularly buggy time of day).
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C25 flies out (with jmbjmb, the other parent) technically the morning of Monday the 25th but really the night of Sunday the 24th. (Departures around midnight are the norm here.)
Given past experiences, I fully expect the kid to start packing around noon on the 24th, and for me to get stressed about it but for it to turn out fine.
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We leave tomorrow. We should probably pack soon. 
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We are in this boat. C25 flies out the evening of Sunday the 24th too. International so we are driving a few hours to a bigger airport avoid a second stop in their itinerary, which means we’ll be leaving the house mid morning on the 24th. Also just got dorm room assignment and realized our mega-suitcase will be a huge hassle to store during the semester, so ikea blue bags it is! We are lucky the site provides linens and the climate is pretty warm and stable, so we don’t need to take winter things. However C25 asked to check a second bag and I had to decline. Mostly because where are they going to put all that STUFF?? The beds have built in drawers so we can’t loft them. And there’s one very tiny wardrobe per person. I’ve been trying to get them to at least start making a pile of stuff so we can sort of eyeball it against the luggage. No dice. Have a feeling we’ll be stressing out the evening of the 23rd, remembering things we forgot from amazon, wishing we had bought a different sized duffel, or trying to decide what can be left here.
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We dropped S25 off at SJC Annapolis yesterday. The packing left a bit to be desired, but early orientation includes an optional Target run. Phew.
We made yesterday a family event, but S23 and Random Dad are traveling home separately due to work obligations. Heavy hearts as this is our second and last kid. Wish I could teleport home to snuggle with the dog, but at least the kid looked happy and ready yesterday.
Hope things go well for all of you.
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UPDATE: I guess I spoke it into existence! She started packing today! And she made really good progress. AND she finally connected with her roommate!! Move in is next Friday.
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Epiphany
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Individuals with epilepsy are protected under Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you don’t like that, perhaps call your congressional representative and get the laws changed. If your child needs accommodations because of a medical disability, why haven’t you fought for them to have them? Also while migraines are horrible (I get them about 2x a year) it is laughable to equate them to tonic-clonic seizures.
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What is your problem?
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D25 got some great news this week. She really wanted to get involved in research this year. She applied to 3 different programs this summer with the hopes to get into one of them. She found out that she was selected and paired with a professor this week. The program runs October to May. I am happy for her. When picking between her top two choices, access and opportunity to be involved in research pushed IU over the top, even though she is stem major and Purdue overall has a stronger reputation.
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I read this and thought of the time my [brilliant professor] friend and her husband “outsmarted” a fly.
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We are packed and ready to go! To answer a PP’s question, S25 has 3 zippered IKEA bags with clothes and 3 garment bags. He also has 10 ikea bags with everything else, a plastic 3 drawer dresser, 2 unassembled bookshelves, a 24x36 poster frame, his boxed mattress topper, and a weekender bag for the hotel. This is not my minimalist child!!
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We fly to Houston today! S25 started packing yesterday morning and I helped a bit - but it was a good thing he did leave himself most of the day to find all his stuff. He is flying down with 2 Ikea bags, a backpack and a carry on size suitcase. But we have orders to pick up at Target, Walmart, and an Amazon pickup point…so he will definitely have more stuff by move in time!
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Well, it’s not quite 9:30 AM and my boy is dropped off and moved in as much as he wants us to help and we are kicked out.
Drop off went well enough, but when we made our hotel reservations we had a later move in slot and figured we’d be busy until one or two in the afternoon, go back to the hotel, shower, eat dinner and only have the evening to fill, then leave for our long drive in the morning. Now I’m trying to convince my husband that we should just start driving home and eat the cost of tonight’s hotel room, because there is nothing to do for the whole day. All the activities I’ve found are for outside things, and South Carolina and outside in the main hot part of the day are not my idea of fun.
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WOW. How are we at this point? Glad you got him dropped off. How much would he let you help with move in? I’m already worrying that S25 will freak out and try to kick us out the minute we arrive. I’m hoping he will at least let me help him unpack and get his room organized. I just don’t want to get frustrated or put my anxiety on him that day. (But if history is any guide, I may act nuts and make things worse.)
Hope you have a safe trip home!
Oh man, I haven’t checked in, in quite a bit. We fly out to LA tomorrow to drop S25 off! The summer went by so fast. He registered for classes, the advisor talked him down to 14 credits from 17 credits, which might be smart, but the school is so expensive we want to make sure he gets all he can from it (and maybe graduate a semester early).
Good luck everyone!
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