Taking my firstborn out to school was quite the surreal experience. Because I remember so vividly when my mom took me out to BYU all those years ago, it just doesn't seem possible that I am as old now as she was then! Alas, time waits for no man, and while I may feel like I'm not all that removed from my college years, I most certainly am. And having my own kid leave the nest has really brought that home for me. Hahahaha.
As much as I hate a travelogue, the easiest way to recap the week is as follows...
MONDAY:
We left for the airport on Monday, August 23rd, right around the time the kids were leaving for school, but you better believe I squeezed some farewell pictures in before everyone hit the road. Hahaha. After arriving in SLC mid-afternoon, our first stop after picking up the rental car was to meet up with Freddie at Costa Vida so that Ethan could get the chicken quesadilla he'd been dreaming of since last summer's Utah trip. Hahahaha.
Many thanks to my mom for being willing to drive up and stay with the rest of the kids while Scott and I flew with Ethan out to Utah.
{Incidentally, flying with one kid (especially one who is 18 year old) is MUCH easier than flying with 6. Just in case anyone was wondering. Hahahaha.}
Despite Isaac's claim that he was just wiping away the "goop in his eyes," he did actually cry while saying goodbye to Ethan.
TUESDAY:
Tuesday morning was spent chilling with Emily, Freddie, and Amy before Ethan's antsiness to get going reached a fever pitch and we headed to Walmart for all of his dorm-life essentials. Two hours, a lot of money, and a separate trip to Walgreens later, Ethan was able to check just about everything off of his {very thorough} packing list, and breathe a sigh of relief. Hahaha.
After bidding my siblings adieu, we left the Saratoga Springs side of the lake that afternoon and traveled over to Scott's parent's house to stay for the night and enjoyed dinner with Kristin and her family and some of their friends from Indiana who were also bringing kids out to school.
Ethan and Hannah were born only two days apart and I love knowing that he'll have family out there with him even though he's living far away from home.
WEDNESDAY:
Move in day! Hannah joined us on campus that morning to kill time with us while waiting for Ethan's scheduled check in time at 1 PM. After getting him unpacked and {sort of} settled in, we headed over to Kristin's house later that afternoon to hang out some more and eat dinner before it was Hannah's turn to go and check into her dorm that evening.
I couldn't resist taking a picture of Ethan taking a picture of the Y on the mountain. Hahaha.
Ethan is a really good sport. Hahahahahaha.
It was a long day {made longer by the fact that I've been suffering from major insomnia lately and wasn't ever able to fall asleep the night before} and by the time we had finished helping Hannah move into her Heritage Halls apartment, it was time to drive Ethan back over to Helaman Halls and drop him off for good. It certainly felt strange to leave him behind as we drove off that night, but I have no doubt that he'll survive {and thrive} living on his own while at school.
The "Before"
"Toys" he brought from home. 😂
The "After"
Many hands make light work when moving into the dorms.
THURSDAY:
Freshman orientation began on Thursday morning, and after a failed attempt to see Ethan one last time, we said our final goodbyes from afar after attending the parent's welcome/commencement portion of orientation at the Marriott Center. After parting ways, Scott and I headed to Park City later that afternoon for a brief get-away before having to head back home and settle back in to real life.
I really liked President Worthen's 4 points in his closing remarks. He told the students:
1.) You are not here by accident
2.) You did not get here without the help of a lot of people -- Get in the habit of thanking those around you who have helped you get to the place where you are
3.) You are not alone -- God has put people here in your path and He is there for you as well
4.) You have a purpose in being here -- Have the courage to reach your potential; you are better than you think you are
I made him send me a picture of his "Y" group.
And that is basically that! After enjoying a full day of leisurely respite on Friday, we flew home EARLY on Saturday morning so that we'd be able to spend at least part of the day with Jane for her birthday. {In theory, a birthday post should be on the horizon so that I can finally recap all of our August birthdays.}
Having lived a couple of weeks now with only 5 kids at home, I've been surprised by the leaves of change that have jumped out at me. For one thing, even though there's only one kid missing, it feels like a whole lot more are gone. I'm used to doing a headcount of 3 boys and 3 girls, and counting only 2 boys' heads has tripped me up more than I would have imagined over the last few weeks. Hahaha. For another thing, making meals for a family of 7 versus a family of 8 is a whole new ball game that I haven't figured out yet. It shouldn't be this big a change with only one kid out of the picture, but somehow it is! And finally, it's kind of weird not seeing the light shining from under his bedroom door each night when everyone is heading up to bed. The beauty of technology, though, is that we've been in almost daily contact with Ethan since he's been gone. Between FaceTime, phone calls, and text messages, it's easy to pretend that he's not so far away. And I quite like that.
To close -- a text thread between Ethan and myself after the first week of school:
Jessica:
What classes did you have today?
Ethan:
Econ and physics
Jessica:
Noice
two of my favorite subjects
🤣
Ethan:
Dr Kearl (Mine and dad’s old Econ teacher) is a hilarious vibe
He said several highly charged political statements
Jessica:
Like what?
Ethan:
“Anytime Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer, or anyone on the republican side, gets up and starts talking about economics, its just absolutely economic nonsense”
He was very strict about masks
Ethan:
Like he would call you out in the middle of class if it was under your nose… in front of like 400 students
Jessica:
Lololol
