valeria out loud

Hey WordPress! Hope you’re all doing well.

So. We moved our first born daughter into her dorm! Let’s talk about it.

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August 28th was a day full of both excitement and emotion as our youngest daughter started her first day of junior year in high school AND we moved our first born daughter into her dorm.

Before graduating from HS, she learned of another classmate who was also going into the natural sciences college; a girl she knew through other friends. Well, went on a coffee date over the Summer, which launched them to becoming fast friends and they decided to room together when they got to school. A very lovely girl, too. Studious and quiet- and silly. They are similar in a lot of ways.

We were assigned the room’s move-in time before her roommate, by thirty minutes. We weren’t sure what to expect when we got there. You can read all the paperwork and blogs in the world on move-in day scenarios and still not know what to expect.

We drove to school in two cars. My husband drove with all of her dorm items in his car while she and I drove her car following behind. God I am so grateful she asked to drive with me- it was such a great time with her alone. 😊 Our plan was to drive all the way to the college town then she would jump out to go w her dad – she had her school ID to scan with her stuff- as I found the right parking lot then went on to the dorm building to wait for them. It worked out perfectly.

The school had move-in down to a science. They had a handful of drop off zones where volunteers were at the ready with their giant rolling carts, eagerly awaiting the students. Each car pulled up, a team of people grabbed the items, labeled them and wheeled them off to the elevators- making their way to each dorm room. They then dispersed the items into the rooms, wheeling the carts back down for the next load.

The room she was assigned was a corner room (in the honors college) with plenty of natural light streaming in—a perfect space for her to start this new journey. It was already equipped with a bed, an armoire, a desk, and a medium-sized dresser. The first thing she and I grabbed were bleach wipes to basically wipe down every single inch of her space, as my husband started on putting her snack/coffee cart together. We then grabbed all of her clothes, that I cleverly packed on hangers for ease to place on the rod- everything fit so well. Then as she set up her desk, I made her bed. For me- It was a continuation of the ritual the night before packing the car. The act of doing these things just felt like they were part of this story, her story of spreading her wings.

S i g h

As we were knee deep in organizing her things, her roommate and her parents walked in. Such nice people. This made me feel extra at ease about the girls being together. They got right to work and we worked side-by-side getting the girls set up. Thankfully the building she is in had AC!

Then her roommate and parents left to eat. We still had a lot to do, and continued on arranging her new coffee and snack space (a must-have for this snackaholic), then my husband hung up her posters and curtain lights to add her personal touches. Her room looked sweet and inviting—her little home away from home. ❤️

After sweating getting her room in order, we took off for lunch on campus. Little fact- her school is known for its amazing food, second in the country for best food on campus. They make so many different things – so many cultures represented, it’s pretty impressive across the campus- and they use locally sourced foods as much as possible. It’s right up her alley. We had such a fun time at lunch together -and it was a perfect respite before heading back to say our goodbyes which I was dreading more than anything.

We got back to her room, found her roommate alone, and we realized we were done with all of the decorating! It was time to go. 😞

S i g h

So I laid all the gifts and letters that I brought onto her bed. She wanted to read our letters while she was alone but opened one gift. We tried holding back the many tears while saying goodbye, meaning I dropped many tears. Oh so much ugly crying, guys. It’s hard to let go, you know. Comforting, protecting and guiding her has been my job for 18 years. And now we were here- dropping a part of my heart with her. To continue the work of comforting, protecting and guiding her.

S i g h

The reality of leaving her behind began to sink in further as we drove off campus-and my husband and I reflected, as we have been for months, on all the years leading up to this moment—how quickly they flew by and how much she has grown. My husband is great at steering my thoughts positively, and while talking he held up his hand for a high-five and said, ‘We did it. We got her here.’ Which was so true- I chuckled as I slapped his hand. That helped me brighten up a bit. And as we drove further through the town, I found a sense of comfort in knowing that she’s exactly where she’s meant to be. She’s prepared, strong, and ready to take on the challenges that college life will bring- and the joys.

S i g h

She has been keeping in touch every day since we left her last week- texts and pics peppered thru the afternoon and FaceTime sessions every other night. She has been exploring the campus and participating in all of the fun activities- convocation of the honors college, a large carnival, her first floor meeting, campus thrifting, and the after hours mall night and so much more I can’t think of right now.

Classes started for her today, and thankfully things went really well for her. She had a lot of fears that melted away, she was relieved and impressed with what she was a part of already. (So great!!)

She has said some heartfelt things since we dropped her off, too-she is truly a kind girl with a grateful spirit. And- by far the best thing she has said was on the first morning she woke up in her dorm. She said, “Thank you for everything. Not just the dorm stuff, but everything you have done and taught me to prepare me for this moment. I love you.”- which.. made me cry ..again. 😂

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Growing pains…are they truly only for them? Good night, everyone -🌙 Thanks for stopping by.