Kelsey's Off to College

Mary Beth and I spent Friday taking our oldest daughter Kelsey to Durham, NH to begin her freshman year at the University of New Hampshire. It was an exciting and sad day for us all. We pulled out of the driveway at 7:15am for the 4 hour drive up to New England. The suburban was completely filled with items to decorate and outfit her room that she and MB had bought over the previous 10 days. Here's the math: Full car = empty bank account. (I didn't budget this into my college cost calculations!)

We arrived on campus around 11:30am and the move in process was in full swing. Police directing traffic, upperclassmen helping carry things into the dorms, sign-in sheets, key distribution and finally arrival at the room. Her room as a corner room which meant two windows and an "L"-shaped floor plan. No sign of the roommate, so Kelsey was free to pick which side she liked and the unpacking began. What started as a fairly stark, institutional space, finished up as a rather cozy and attractive dorm room. Kelsey's roommate Gabby, (they found each other in June on Facebook, so are already friends) arrived when we were mostly finished, so we relinquished the space to them so Gabby could settle into her side.

We had a very late lunch (3:30pm) at the closest dining hall -- the food at UNH is very highly rated for good reason! Kelsey had a dorm orientation meeting at 4:30 and during lunch, she began to cry as our departure crept closer. It took everything Mary Beth and I had not to join her crying, but we both knew if we fell apart, she would get even worse. So, we helped her recover, kissed her goodbye and left.

Wow -- end of an era. She is no longer ours to care for, to set the rules for, to watch over. We won't know what she is doing all the time and when she gets home at night. I cried the next morning as I realized I wouldn't be making breakfast for her that Saturday, or any other day in the near future. The dinner table is now set for 4 -- what do we do with the extra chair? Leave it as a reminder or move it to the basement until needed? We've spoken to her everyday and she is settling in. I know she'll be fine, and I also know the same is true for me and Mary Beth, but right now things feel out of sorts.