Off To College!

Well, we did it!  The oldest one is officially off to college!  I took this past Friday off from work and early that morning we got up and loaded the last of her things, then made the drive over to the campus.  I have to tell you, we had a great day!!

Most of what she ended up taking fit inside her car.  A couple boxes ended up in mine.  Once we arrived we checked in and drove over to the dorms where we were greeted by alumni members that had come to help.  Everyone was so welcoming as they helped us grab stuff and invited us right on in.  They had a donut and coffee station set up, but we were too excited to see her room and meet her roommate so we got right to it.

We couldn't have asked for a better day.  The weather was perfect!

Her RA (resident assistant) checked us in, gave her a key and showed us her room.  No sign of a roommate yet, so my daughter had first dibs on bed and furniture.  She chose the end of the room and we got to work moving her desk, dresser and closet into position.  We went through several reconfigurations before all was said and done, but I think she came up with a great setup that allows for privacy but is still open enough so the wall won't feel as if they are closing in.

Another trip down to the car and we pretty much had all of her clothes and toiletries unloaded.  Then on our third trip we were greeted by three members of the football team offering to help carry stuff and I couldn't have been any happier about that, believe me.

These are the people who will keep my girl safe.  Amazing group of individuals.

The fed us lunch and had cookie and coffee stations set up all over campus.  We took a break from unpacking to get some food and then over to the campus safety building for her student ID and to get a parking pass.  Next was to the campus store where I treated her to a school windbreaker and a long sleeved T-shirt.  Lastly, we headed over to get her mailbox assigned and get her key.  Then back to the dorm to unpack some more, tweak the room again and find out her assigned roommate had decided to go to school elsewhere.  So for now my daughter has the room to herself, but that is most likely to change in the next couple of weeks.

By 2:00 we had orientation, at 3:00 parents split off from the students and orientation continued for another hour.  Then there was a parent's happy hour, but I skipped that to help my daughter finish unpacking before we headed off to dinner.

Look at this happy girl!

All day long we felt a true sense of wellbeing and as if we were being taken care of.  So many people on hand to help out and reassure us as we navigated throughout our day and super, super friendly.  Everyone we met was so nice and seemed so happy.  I know she is in a great place and I couldn't be more pleased.

We had the option of the dining hall on campus, however knowing my daughter would be eating there on a daily basis we opted to go to a restaurant instead.  Along the way we stopped at Dollar Tree for a few supplies and at a thrift store to see if they had a bathrobe for her.  As it turned out we found one, brand new with the tags still on it, in her size and favorite color.  She stated it was meant to be and we bought it.

Oh my gosh!  These fajitas were so good!!

I took her to one of my favorite restaurants in the area and we shared a HUGE fajita platter.  It was a fantastic meal and the service was topnotch.  We left the restaurant feeling stuffed and well cared for.  On the way back I drove her around the little town and showed her all of the places she would find helpful, including an urgent care center as well as Wal-Mart.  The grocery store is literally across the street from her dorm which will be super handy for her.

She has it fixed up super cute.  In the opposite corner is her desk.

returned her to her dorm and helped her carry up the items we had purchased at Dollar Tree and the thrift store as well as her leftovers from dinner.  Then it was time.  I told her I loved her a lot and gave her a giant hug.  Then I got out of there before either one of us had a chance to tear up.  I had a lot of fun that day and it was truly a special time for us.  She is going to do so well at college and she is surrounded by a lot of good people to make sure she does.  I couldn't be happier for her.