The College Girls Are Home

Leah and I drove down to Tampa last Monday.  We made record time....11 hours and 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the trip back also took record time:  the longest drive to or from Tampa ever...14 hours, 25 minutes. What a trip!  I pulled a Uhaul trailer behind my SUV with Olivia, Leah, and Sam as passengers. Clay drove Julie in the girls' college car. We encountered numerous traffic jams due to wrecks and construction, and every stop took longer than usual because I am not the best parker when pulling a trailer.

A few details. Leah and I listened to Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle on Audible. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I think I liked it better than Leah did. It was only 6 hours, so that was perfect to listen to on our trip. We alternated listening to the book and Leah watching movies (with headphones) while I listened to podcasts.

I spent last Tuesday packing up Julie's dorm room and Wednesday packing up Olivia's. I can't believe how much stuff they have! It almost did not even fit in the Uhaul and our two vehicles. On Thursday I finished up the packing and did some cleaning. My parents, Jimmy, Clay, and Sam arrived Thursday afternoon. We all attended Olivia's Senior Coin Ceremony which is where each senior presents a commemorative coin to a teacher or staff member that had the greatest impact on him or her during their four years of college. Olivia presented her coin to her dorm mother, Momma B. Momma B has been invaluable to both Olivia, Julie, and me too!

Friday our family explored Lettuce Lake Park near our hotel, and then we attended two graduations! Julie received her Associate of Arts Degree at 3:00, and then Olivia received her Bachelor's Degree at 7:30. Both girls graduated with highest honors, and I am so proud of them.

Jimmy and my parents flew back early Saturday morning (Jimmy had to be at work at 4:00 PM), and the children and I finally got on the road at 10:30 AM. We finally arrived home just before midnight CST.

Olivia and Julie are diligently unpacking and sorting through all their college belongings. I think things multiplied in their dorm rooms. I am not sure where are going to put all this stuff! We unloaded the cars and Uhaul into my schoolroom. I moved Leah and Sam's schoolbooks to my kitchen because you cannot even walk in my schoolroom!

It actually looks a lot worse than this picture right now because they have started going through the boxes.

The final days of wedding planning are in full force, and next week is filled with Clay's graduation, the kids' piano recital, and Clay's graduation party. Fun and busy times!

The College Girls' Dorm Rooms

Disclaimer:  I am not an interior decorator!  Olivia and Julie's rooms are cute and functional.

The dorm that both Olivia and Julie live in underwent a major renovation over the summer.  The carpet was all ripped out, the concrete floors polished and stained, the bathrooms gutted and redone, the built-ins completely removed and replaced, and even the closets were improved!

Here are some before pictures of Julie's suite. (She shares a suite with 4 girls--2 girls in each room with a closet area and bathroom between the two rooms which they share.)

 the shower

(Those are cool towel bars on either side...they swing out to hang the towels.)

 the bedroom

The beds, desks, and chest of drawers can be moved anywhere in the room. Previously, all the furniture was permanently installed. While Julie was running with Big Sam I spent about an hour moving the furniture in various ways and walking up and down the hallway to look at how other girls were arranging their rooms.  I finally decided on the above arrangement.

the kitchen area.

Here are some after pictures.  

the shower 

I raised the beds so that each girl has a two drawer chest (like the one pictured above--two are stacked) underneath their bed. They also have crates and plastic boxes holding various objects underneath their beds.  There is a lot of storage under there!

Olivia moved into her dorm a week early because she had to go to campus early for the last week of a summer school (online) class she had taken all summer. She moved all of her stuff out of storage, unpacked, and decorated her room all by herself!  She and her roommate had it all done by the time I finished helping Julie and Elle with their room. All I had to do was buy and hang some curtains over their closet. (Last year it had these groovy wooden-like sliding doors on it.)

Olivia and Morgan have an oversized room with their own bathroom.

 their desk area

 their living area

 a view from when you walk in

the closets (each girl has her own)

another view of their beds....(before I hung the closet curtains)

This room also has a little kitchen area and a huge bathroom that I failed to take a picture of.

Both girls' rooms are homey and perfect for them!

A Road Trip With a Surprise

Well, here I am again.  Sitting here on my couch with my laptop (and my phone being used as a hotspot) composing a blog post.

Almost two weeks ago my four younger children, plus Parker (Lynn's oldest son who is Clay's age) and I left at 8:20 PM on a Thursday night (after the children's piano recital), bound for Florida.

When Olivia left to go back to college after her spring break, she was a little sad that it would be 8 weeks before she could come home.  And of course that is a long time for us too!  Not long after I took her to the airport to fly back, Jimmy and I formulated a plan.  The kids and I (plus Parker) would drive down there and SURPRISE Olivia with a long weekend visit! :)  We were all so excited and talked about it until the day arrived for us to leave.

We drove until about 1:00 AM Thursday night, stayed in a hotel (briefly), and got back on the road about 7:00 AM.  We were on schedule to arrive at Olivia's school around 3:00 PM, just in time for my older children and Parker to run with Olivia's cross country team during their 4:00 practice.

Unfortunately, the last 58 miles of the trip took us almost 3 hours!  I think we traveled 9 miles in one of those hours.  It was a major traffic jam!  And so we drove up on campus just as the runners were finishing their practice--we saw Olivia!  But she did not see us!  I parked and we were waiting as she and her friends ran to the meeting spot.  SURPRISE!  Yes!  She was completely surprised!  It was great!

We spent the weekend participating in a few campus activities (concert, singing, talent show) plus lots of time just visiting with Olivia.  We took her out to eat and to see the movie, Cinderella. I bought some groceries and supplies for her, and we spent a good bit of time with her church family.  They are all so kind and hospitable.  I truly appreciate the good care they are taking care of Olivia. Julie stayed in the dorm with Olivia, and the other children and I stayed in the hotel I always stay in while I am visiting Olivia, packing her up, or moving her in.  The staff there remembers my family and me, and they are always so nice to us.

We left that Monday morning at 10:20 AM (we wanted to wait and see Olivia between her classes to say our goodbyes.)  We drove all the way home, arriving at 10:00 PM.  We stopped only 5 times for coffee, gas, bathroom breaks and 2 meals.  Each stop was 15 minutes or less.  We listened to The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (one of Leah's Sonlight books) on audio, and on the way down there we had a Toy Story marathon.  They kids watched (and I listened to) Toy Story 1, 2, and 3.  Coming home they watched Big Hero Six, Annie, and one other movie that I can't remember.  It really wasn't that bad of a drive.

And it was so worth it.

I Was Spontaneous!

Last Thursday when I was nearing Olivia's college campus, I saw a huge flashing sign that read:

Caution!  Runners! 

March 22

5K, 10K, 15K

Hmmmm……I thought……the girls and I should run that race!  And…..I won't tell Jimmy what we have planned.  We will be spontaneous, sign up for the race, and tell Jimmy and the kids back home after we are all done!

I was so proud of myself and my spontaneity!

Friday night I went to the packet pickup location, signed us up, got our bib numbers and race shirts, and we were all set.  I signed up Tiana for the 5K, and Olivia, Julie, and myself for the 10K.

The race start/finish was less than a half mile from Olivia's campus, so we just walked to the start.  Three of Olivia's XC teammates were there to run too.  The race was the Strawberry Classic, and they served tons of strawberries!  The race course wound all through the shady neighborhoods surrounding the campus, and at one point we ran right by Olivia's dorm.  So much fun!

 Four sleepy girls before the race

 Flats of strawberries on the post-race refreshments table

 Three sweet girls, ready to run!

 After the race, enjoying the strawberries

 When all the racers were finished, they began giving away flats of strawberries.  I got this flat for Olivia to share with her friends at the dorm.  

Julie and Olivia won first and second in their age group.  

The medals have strawberries on them!

I texted Jimmy right before the race to tell him not to worry if I did not answer my phone for a couple of hours.  I told him we were doing something spontaneous, and we would tell him all about it soon. I wanted to surprise him, but I also knew he might worry if neither Olivia, Julie, or I answered our phones.  He and the other children were running a race back home, and I knew that we would be calling me to share their results.

He sent me two texts with guesses…..one he thought that we may be enjoying a manicure/pedicure/massage, and the then the second text said,

"I hope you win the race!"

He guessed!

But that's ok.  I still did something fun and unplanned.  We enjoyed our morning so much!

A Happy Day

Julie and I (and one of Julie and Olivia's friends) are visiting Olivia at college! We left for the airport yesterday morning at 3 AM.  I was so busy packing and getting things ready for my family to be without me for a few days, that I only slept 2 hours before it was time to go.  I drank lots of coffee yesterday.
We were so happy to see Olivia, even though she has not been back to school for even a week yet.  Julie and Tiana are staying in the dorm with Olivia, so they are getting to spend a good bit of time with her.  I have spent the afternoon doing laundry for Olivia and her roommate and ironing some of her clothes.  It makes me happy to be doing things for Olivia.  She is studying right now, but later on we are taking Olivia out to eat supper with us.  Then we are all going to attend some activities that they have planned here at the school tonight.
I miss my other children and Jimmy too, but I am having a happy day with my oldest.

I Was Spontaneous!

Hello, blog readers!  I hope to blog about my latest happenings and my thoughts about various subjects, in no particular order--beginning right now.  If I could blog while I ran, I would be in business!  Running with my husband or with friends is excellent therapy, but running alone (outside, not on the treadmill watching DVDs) is when I clear my head.  And it is also when I think of all the things I want to blog about!

So, on to my spontaneity!

Last Friday morning after Jimmy left for work, he called me and told me to go see Olivia!  We all have been missing her terribly.  This has been the longest that I have not been with one of my children!  Olivia is adjusting well, and she really loves her college.  But, the school part of it has been stressful.  Of course!  In fact she said that if she didn't have to take tests or write papers for a grade, she would love everything about college.  Ha!  That sums it up for all of us!

Anyway, I hesitated for about 2 seconds and then I said sure!  I will buy my plane ticket right now!

So I did.  And three hours later I was headed to the airport.  I rented a car upon my arrival, and I got to campus just as Olivia was returning from her Friday night XC meet.  I was super sad to miss the meet, but there was just no other flight for me to take at such short notice.

Olivia and I spent three delightful nights together.  We stayed up till midnight the first night and 1 AM the next two!  And I got up at either 6:30 or 7:30 the mornings after the 1 AM nights.  I was exhausted. I am too old for college hours!

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, and I loved every minute of it.  Olivia studied and wrote her 1000 word essay that was due Monday.  I proofread the essay (referring to her college textbook for punctuation questions), and called out her study guide to her.  It was nice.  While she wrote or studied, I tidied her dorm room, washed her clothes, bought her some groceries, fixed her lunch, and just sat beside her and read a book.  I so enjoyed just looking over and seeing her sweet face in person.

The church where she placed membership was holding a weekend gospel meeting, so we attended church services Saturday night as well as twice on Sunday.  We also attended a potluck.  I was so happy to meet all of these fellow Christians, and to make sure they were looking after Olivia!  :)  All of the young people wanted to meet "Olivia's mother".  It was so much fun!

We talked and texted with the family back home all weekend.  They all ran a race on Saturday, and we enjoyed hearing all about that.  Jimmy and Julie did an excellent job of running the household while I was gone.  They bought groceries and cleaned the entire house Sunday night so it would be clean when I got home Monday afternoon.  What a fabulous family!  They also attended the MSU football game (they were spontaneous too!), and Julie packed a full picnic for the family to enjoy.  She also kept up with the laundry.

I am so grateful for my family.  I am thankful that they allowed me to visit Olivia (which she I both needed so badly), and that they were so willing to take care of things back home.

We have a chalkboard in our kitchen, counting down the days until Olivia comes home for the weekend.  It's just around the corner!  In fact, she's coming home twice in October, Thanksgiving, and then for Christmas break.

I still can't believe that I have a child in college!

Taking My Oldest To College

On August 15, the children and I left for a two day, 700+ mile trip to take Olivia to college.  I pulled a Uhaul to carry all of her belongings and supplies and such, and that was a challenge!  

Clay and Sam, waiting outside Olivia's dorm room--ready to unload.

We began moving her in on that Saturday morning, at 8:00 AM.  As soon as that Uhaul was unloaded, I returned it to the nearest Uhaul place!  Then all of the children and I joined Olivia's roommate and her family (her parents and her 4 siblings) in unpacking all of the stuff and making their room look like a home.

Jimmy flew in later that afternoon, and he joined in on the fun!

 Julie and Olivia soon after we arrived--lots of work to be done in the room.

We worked in Olivia's dorm room for most of the day, and then we attended the parent/family cookout on campus.  Later that evening we attended the New Parent Orientation.  It was a nice time of visiting and learning more about the school.  It was also a time for tissues as all of us mamas realized that we would be leaving our children behind.  

Sunday morning, our family attended worship service together with Olivia's roommate and her family. And with lots of other college students, faculty, and staff.  I introduced myself to anyone who looked like they were affiliated with the school and told them that Olivia was a freshman, please look after her, etc.  Yes.  I was that mom.

 the children outside Olivia's dorm on Sunday morning

Sunday afternoon we attended the opening ceremonies for the school followed by the president's reception.  This allowed us more time for visiting with other (mostly freshman) parents and faculty.  Again, I made my rounds, meeting various teachers and introducing myself.

Monday, I think all of the parents headed home.  All except Olivia's parents.  And that became the theme for the next two weeks!  Olivia's family stayed.  Jimmy was able to stay with us until Wednesday, but then he had to fly home to go back to work.

The children and I stayed!

It kind of became a joke around campus among the people who personally knew Olivia.  "Is your mom still here?", became the regular question.  (In a nice way---the students seemed amused by it). The following Sunday when I attended church, one lady asked me if I was already back to visit my daughter.  I had to tell her, "No, I haven't gone home yet!"  :)  

I stayed a total of two weeks.  In a hotel with four (sometimes five, when Olivia spent the night with us) children.  We made friends with all of the hotel employees, and they all knew Sam by name.  During the day while Olivia was at orientation and then when she began her classes, we went to an amusement park, a science museum, countless trips to Target and a variety of other stores, and we also managed to complete 5 days of schoolwork.  In the evenings we visited Olivia.  I continued to work on her dorm room, we took her out to eat, we drove her to her study sessions, we attended a student singing night with her--whatever she needed us to do at night--we were there to do it.  She would give me a list of things that she thought of that she needed, and I was her personal shopper each day.  And I was so, so happy to be able to do this for her!

After she met all of her classes, she was a little bit overwhelmed.  I looked through all of her class materials and helped her get it all organized.  Going from homeschooling for 12 years to 16 hours of college classes has been a big leap for Olivia--in the areas of time management mostly.  I am confident that she will do well in her classes, and I expect her confidence level to grow over the next several weeks.  The work load is great, but I have assured her that she can do it!

Many people, both friends and family, have repeatedly asked me, "How can you leave Olivia at a college so far away from home?  Why is she going there?"

My answer is this:  After much, much prayer, thought, deliberation, and discussion, we feel that this is the best decision for Olivia at this time.  We are only committed to one semester.  Olivia felt that if she didn't give this particular college a try, she would never know---but she can always come home if she is terribly unhappy.  

All of her classes will be taught from a Biblical worldview.  The classes are small, and the teachers know all of the students (and some of their mothers-Ha!) by name--both inside and outside the classroom.  School sponsored events include prayer, Bible study, and hymn singing.  The campus has such an uplifting, encouraging atmosphere.

It can all be summed up in the school's mission statement:

.... a private, independent liberal arts college, provides a comprehensive undergraduate experience designed to develop students spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially; to integrate into the students’ lives the Bible as the revealed will of God; and to prepare students for lives of service to their Creator and to humanity.

A life of service to God.  That is what it is all about.  That is the big picture.  God loves my child infinitely more than I can imagine.  And while my heart is sad at her being gone from our home at this time, I am choosing to unselfishly rejoice in this opportunity that she has been given.  That's not to say that there have not been many, many tears.  And that I can't believe how much we all miss her.  But, I am confident that for now, we have made the right choice.  

On a happy note, she joined the college's cross country team!  It was a great decision for her to make.  She has told me more than once that going to XC practice every day is such a stress reliever for her, and a nice break from studying. She is making friends with her teammates, and she has a super coach.  They have several meets beginning this Friday.  I am not sure if we will be able to attend any of them (we have Julie and Clay running XC here at home....) but I hope that we can make one of her meets.

Here are some pictures from our two week trip:

 The dorm room

These dorm rooms are so much bigger than what I lived in in college.  She has a roommate and and two suite mates.  They share a bathroom and two huge closets between their two rooms.  Everything in the room is built in, even the beds.  She has a sink in her room, and lots of drawers and shelves.  There are even four drawers underneath her bed!

 Another view

 And one more

A couple of days before I was due to drive home, Lynn flew down to visit for a couple of days and to help me drive back home. We spent one afternoon cleaning up and finishing the decor of Olivia's room, and then we took Olivia out to eat.

The next day we attended the college's daily chapel service, and then we spent a few hours on campus taking pictures, meeting people (remember, I am that mom who needed to meet as many people as possible and tell them about Olivia!), and shopping in the college bookstore.  It was so encouraging to be in chapel with the students---hearing their beautiful voices singing praises to God, and hearing an inspiring message about redeeming the time from the college president.

 at the restaurant

 also at the restaurant

One Saturday that I was there Olivia spent the day with us.  We did all sorts of fun things and then we found the coolest outdoor/indoor mall where we ate supper.

 Leah and Olivia

sweet sisters--the night before we left

It was hard to leave.  We pulled away from Olivia's dorm at 7:50 AM last Thursday morning.  Tears abounded.  But it's ok!  I have had the privilege of raising the most wonderful daughter for 18 years.  She is grounded in her faith, and she loves the Lord.  She is kind, loving, hard-working, and compassionate.  She is already making lots of new friends, and I believe that she is thriving.

We talk on the phone and/or text multiple times a day.  We figured out Face Time before I left.  We are sending her letters and/or packages so that she gets mail almost daily.  And we are counting the days until her first visit home.

Unless we go to visit her first!

Sunday

Here's the boring update on life.....Jimmy and I took Olivia for a college visit, Thursday-Saturday.  I spent the rest of yesterday afternoon picking up my other children while Jimmy ran 24 miles.  My dear, dear friends Heather and Lynn kept my children for three nights while we were gone.  Julie stayed with Heather, and the rest stayed with Lynn and Uncle Kelly.  All of the children had a super fun time and were exhausted when they got home.  Everyone in our house was asleep before 9:30 last night.  Olivia actually collapsed on her bed shortly after we arrived home, around 4:00 PM.  She did not wake up until 8:00 this morning!  Staying in the dorm wore her out!

Today was spent attending worship services, teaching Bible class, attending our monthly Ladies' Bible class, buying groceries, unpacking, doing laundry, and tidying up my house.  Actually, I am still not done.  I was posting my run from this morning on Daily Mile, and just decided to do a little blog update before I get back to cleaning my kitchen.

For the second week in a row, I went to the grocery store to buy a week's worth of groceries using a list that I made a few minutes before shopping.  I made it at the restaurant at lunch, and then Jimmy and the kids shopped at Sam's while I went to Kroger.  I probably won't be posting my weekly menu tomorrow, and I will not be trying any new recipes this week.  I plan to be back to careful menu planning and list making next weekend!

I was unable to get my long run in for the week since we were out of town, so I will be doing it tomorrow--22 miles.  The longest long run before the marathon.  My week's total miles will be 49.  I hope I survive!  Jimmy just finished a 70 mile week!  Yes!  We are both crazy.

Well, that's it--oh, one more thing.  Jimmy and I made friends with another couple who had their daughter visiting the college too.  We all four became fast friends, and I found out that my new friend was a runner.  And not just any crazy marathon runner...she is an ultra runner!  She had just completed a 60 mile race last Saturday.  HMMMM........an ultra?  Lynn?  Heather?  Esther?  Leanna?  Anybody interested in training for an ultra??

We Have a Senior

It is really sinking in now that Olivia is a senior in high school.  Which means that my homeschooling duties are ending.....for one person, but since Sam is a first grader, and there are 3 other children in between them, that I am really only a little more than halfway through my homeschooling career!

Anyway, Olivia will be 18 in April, and graduating from our homeschool the next month.  We gave her an early birthday present a couple of weeks ago--an iPhone!  She was most excited!  Actually, that is an understatement!  She shrieked with delight and disbelief!  She had previously been using the family "Go Phone" when she was away from home, but we knew that eventually she would need a cell phone of her own.  So we got her one for her birthday!

We had the first round of senior pictures made of Olivia last Saturday.  It was a most fun experience.  Uncle Russ, Aunt Megan, and Jimmy were the photography entourage.  Russ and Jimmy took the pictures and took turns holding the big "white board"--something to deflect the light or make the light brighter or something like that--and Megan was the photo stylist.  She posed Olivia, touched up her blush and lip gloss, and adjusted her accessories.  What fun!  It was a freezing cold day, and there were live horses on the property to liven up the photo shoot.  When the horses appeared (and they followed us around--even galloped after our van), I would get inside the van!  Olivia loves all animals, and we got some pictures of her and one of the horses "talking".

The next thing that makes Olivia's being a senior a reality is college!  She plans to attend college next year, and she has narrowed her choices down to three.  She has been accepted to all three, and so now she just has to decide.  We have already visited one campus, and we have visits to the other two campuses scheduled over the next few weeks.  Her choices include (1)  a local community college where she will live at home and either attend classes on campus or take classes online.  (2)  a public university located about 2 hours from our home.  (3) a private college located a long, long way from home.

It's hard to believe that Olivia may be away from home next fall.  Our entire family dynamic will change! The time from rocking a newborn to helping them fill out college applications is so short!  So short!  If you are the mother of one or many small children, remember this--The days are long, but the years are short.