<p>D1 will be heading back for her jr year. She will drive in one car and H and I will drive another like we always do to get everything there. She has TONS of clothes!!! Don’t know how she fits them in her closet. There will be a parent/player dinner for her team and then we say our goodbyes. It’s not hard as we see her at her games when we travel almost every weekend although we have some conflicts with D2’s HS senior season this year. Can’t believe how quickly these college years are flying by!!!</p>
<p>I’m planning on H and I having a mid-life crisis together. When you have one separately it just creates so much trouble. </p>
<p>I want us to really talk about some of the things we’ve gotten tied into that eat up every minute of time (mostly H’s time…he tends to get himself overcommitted) so that we couldn’t possibly take a vacation after dropping S off. We have to get right back home and back to our responsibilities.</p>
<p>Applicantmum, I am so sorry to hear of your divorce. How are you holding up? Do you have family or friends near you who you can lean on during this time?</p>
<p>I think there’s a President’s reception Saturday afternoon for parents after the kids walk through the gate. DH and I may go to Carson’s for ribs that evening, and then we do the 11-hour drive on Sunday.</p>
<p>S2 will be at home when we get there. Suspect he will get lots of hugs upon our arrival. Also suspect that reality will hit DH like a ton of bricks. I’ve been preparing for this for a while (all the while DH chides me about my occasional tears); DH has been going on like it’s no big deal about sending your kiddo off to college.</p>
<p>Drop-off one day, college visits for child #2 the next! I’m savoring the idea of a couple more years of teenage activity in the house. And I wish the best to all of you who will see the nest empty for the first time; that will be a hard day for me.</p>
<p>It’s going to be very hard for me. I’m happy for D., of course – delighted with the school she’s going to and think it’s a perfect match for her – but she’s our only child, and I do have a feeling of losing the most important focus of my daily and weekly routine. I do not enjoy my job – H. loves his and is gone a lot. We’re taking a 5-day vacation together after we drop her off, but then I’m expecting some hard days come September. It will be nice to clean up her room and see that rug, but oh, I’d rather see her. . . “parents’ weekend,” right?</p>
<p>I do feel fortunate that my husband will be dropping off our oldest, driving seven hours back home the next day, while I’m driving back home from a business meeting, at which point we consolidate into one car, throw the younger two in the back, and take off for a soccer tournament. I hope to be too busy/distracted to go through too many kleenex boxes.</p>
<p>And parents weekend? Mos def.</p>
<p>The daughter of one of my best friend’s is getting married the weekend of parents’ weekend so I can’t go to parents’ weekend. HOWEVER, the school website suggested that, if you live 3 hrs or less away, to only bring a few weeks worth of stuff with you for move in day since it is so chaotic and plan a trip back within the first month. So, now I have an excuse to visit in September to pick up some summer stuff and bring winter stuff. The website made me do it!</p>
<p>We will drive down to DD’s school on the 17th, stay overnight with my uncle who lives nearby, and check her in for her pre-orientation program on the 18th. The program looks AWESOME but since she has to be there early we (H and me) will not be there for the “big” drop-off day on the 22nd. So we are missing out on all the festivities. We could always drive back down, but it’s 4 1/2 hours…at 3.85/gal…and chances are, she will be “busy” with her new friends she’s met at the program. </p>
<p>At any rate, we have the week off, and I, like some others, have a date with a large garbage bag in D’s room. I remember, about 10 months ago, giving her fair warning that I would be going through EVERYTHING the minute she was moved out!!! (It still looks the same…) We also plan on giving DS (rising sophomore) some quality time as DD has been stealing the show this past year…will someone give me the final outcome of the homework/video game project? We have that same issue in our house!</p>
<p>Dropping S off at school, will stop at D’s if she’s home (they will go to the same college), and then we’re going to see Lewis Black in concert that night. Then off to New York City for 4 1/2 days to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (and also to avoid that darned empty nest for a few more days). Sigh . . . I’m happy for my kids but wondering about how quickly we’re going to adjust at home.</p>
<p>My husband and I flew with my daughter (driving wasn’t practical) to her school a few days early. We picked up the needed school items and explored the area so she could get her feet on the ground. Moved her in on Saturday and we were dropped like a hot potato. We went to a really nice dinner and I drank heavily. Flew home. Surprisingly, getting use to an empty nest wasn’t bad. Really! My hairdresser did told me to watch the drinking. He said he saw many women who abused alcohol after the last kid left. I listened to him.</p>
<p>I will spend 6 hours in a car with my ex husband after dropping our kid off at college…and if I can endure that, I can endure anything!</p>
<p>We are taking D to school that is 5.5 hours away. Just cannot bear the thought of the long sad drive directly home so are going to visit the in-laws for a couple days (who live less than 2 hrs from D’s school). After that I figure we will be ready to go home (LOL) :)</p>
<p>Plans? I should make plans?? We’ll be dropping D1 off for freshman year on the 20th. My plan is to take deep breaths, not hug her so hard she’ll break and remind myself - “it’s not about ME!”. Then onto home with H and 8th grade Son. Back to work the next day with my supportive work family who know i will be a bit off that day and a few days thereafter!</p>
<p>Read something other than college/scholarship brochures, applications, and (proofread) essays. Then get some peaceful sleep, because I won’t laying awake trying to remember if we have forgotten some deadline.</p>
<p>Immediate plan is to go back to the hotel room and hope to keep it together. She is our only and will be 1800 miles away.</p>
<p>Then we fly home and I need to find employment to help pay tuition and keep myself occupied. Either that or I run the risk of becoming even more attached to our two dogs than I am now, one of which is a 9 month old puppy. It doesn’t take a psychologist to figure out why we/I got the puppy.</p>
<p>S’s major has a special event for families on move-in afternoon which H & I will attend (but will S?). He’s quite ready to take off on his new college life. He also seems pained by the idea we might want to hear from him once a week. This is a boy with whom I have long and funny talks on a daily basis. Will I adjust? Lucky I still have S2 at home–but will he welcome the additional mom attention? Heh.</p>
<p>If I’m good, I’ll put extra time into my work. If not, I’ll start thinking about possible college list for S2 (10th grade). Someone, snap me out of it.</p>
<p>Madbean, imho, it’s not too soon for you to work on a possible college list for S2–spoken as one who did that very thing. Our kids are 5 years apart and while S’s reach and match schools were easy for us and him to identify because of his grades, interests and clearly stated geographis requirements, the same was not true for his sister. As a result–and with her full approval, I might add-- I spent a HUGE amount of time researching for her and in just TEN DAYS we will be making the 10 hour drive to what we all believe will be an ideal school for her.</p>
<p>SO–don’t let anyone make fun of you for doing this; if you feel like you should start now, go with your gut!</p>
<p>Yup, I’m already helping my 10th grade D work on college lists. Just think about how much more you know now, having gone through it with your older child.</p>
<p>Two more years until our truly empty nest. I can’t decide if I will cry tears of joy or sadness that day. Probably a little of both.</p>
<p>A stop at a B & B is a very good idea, IMO.</p>
<p>madbean, depends on the kiddo. S2 has his fingers in many pots and is just beginning to figure out what he wants. He got some ideas from watching his older brother go through this last year, but as we are learning, S2’s search will be quite different. Tenth isn’t too early, esp. if visiting a college or two might help jump-start your S into being more motivated/doing better in school. (Not saying that’s the case here; however, when S2, a rising junior, started looking at where he wanted to visit, he commented, “I wonder what I have to do to make myself more competitive for these schools.”)</p>
<p>DH and I did a collective head-to-the-keyboard slam. 
Duh!!</p>