Moving In

Yesterday we dropped Ben off at college. This is the sign that greeted us at the entrance to campus.



And this is the WONDERFUL site that greeted us as we pulled up to the dorm! Dozens of student waiting to unload the vehicles and move all the items into the room. In about 10 minutes time they unloaded 4 vehicles and we had them moved to the parking lot. (They unloaded the van, Ben's car, Cody's car and Bill and Jackie's van).






This is just half of the hallway outside their room when we got inside. The boys needed to go get the key to their room before we pulled into the circle but we missed that instruction! We also missed the instruction that the boys were to have their student ID's with them at lunch that day......oh well, I'm sure we weren't the only ones and I'm sure Ben and Cody have got it together by now!




This is a photo of their door decorated by their Student Orientation Leaders. They were kind of bummed. Cody is NOT a Dolphins fan and Ben is REALLY NOT a Vikings fan! But they will survive.


Once we got inside Ben and Cody got to work stacking their beds and deciding how to set up the room. The parents stood aside for as long as we could stand it but ended up jumping in to help. Which I'm sure Ben and Cody appreciated! (Not really!)



Here's Jackie trying to make sense of it all!


The boys finally accomplished the bed situation and thought they would take a short break. Very short break!



And a final shot of the roomies before we headed off to lunch and goodbye's.


It was an exciting day and a bittersweet one for us parents. It's so hard to let your children grow up. But I love what my friend Tricia said (she always says such wise things just at the right moment.)

It's a wonderful time and exactly what we raised them to do. Why does it tug at our hearts so much? Time to see them through a different set of eyes. Tough when I LOVED the other way. A new chapter in our lives...

I have loved raising Ben. The best time of my life will always be when the four of us lived together as a family. (also a Triciaism!) But this is a new chapter in both our lives. And, I'm excited to see the man he will become.