Our household shrunk by two last week as Emma left for Louisville to start her school year and we moved Bess to M.U. for her first year of studies.
Emma was home for the summer to do two internships. Since she kept her Louisville apartment, her move from home involved carrying her suitcases to the car and driving off. She started school yesterday and already is in the thick of writing legal briefs and selecting topics for a law review paper.

Office attire was in order for Emma's summer internship at Sen. Sherrod Brown's office and also for her second internship doing immigration law paperwork for a local attorney. Doesn't she look professional? When she leaves the house looking all grown up like this I like to call out "did you remember to make your bed?" as she's leaving--I think it helps to keep her humble.
The move for Bess was not so simple. We started months ago gathering dorm room linens, desk supplies, getting books, selecting courses--really, this move to Miami has been a year in the making. *note to self--start Grace's college search her Junior year of high school.*
Her pretty dormitory.
The place where she'll be receiving her mail
and the dormitory parlor where she may someday receive gentleman callers. I know what y'all are thinking, but I've seen "The Help" twice this week and I've decided that I prefer the 60's attitudes and modesties better (not the attitudes before civil rights) so in my pretend college world, this IS the only place where young ladies will be receiving gentlemen callers!
Setting up her desk. The room is Very small. Since Bess is doing marching band camp this week, she is moving in 4 days earlier than the rest of the freshman class. She'll get to meet her roomate on Thursday when she moves in. As we were unpacking boxes and filling drawers and closet, Bess turned on the radio to the station she usually listens to. She listens to classic rock almost exclusively, so I wasn't surprised to hear the Casey Kasem top 20 countdown??? Are you kidding me?? Casey Kasem is still around?? Bess tells me that she listens every Sunday. Then the countdown started and they're playing Chicago--you know, ♫The feeling is clear, clear as a blue sky on a Sunday day, Everything was youuu...♫ Then Casey chases that song with ♫Please come to Boston♫ by Dave Loggins. I can't tell you how strange it was to sit there and be listening to music from 1972 while moving into a dorm room. Seriously, it was more than a little surreal. When Casey started playing probably one of the most awful songs ever "Having my Baby" by Neil Sedaka, I felt a pimple start growing on my face and I started wondering if I would fit in. Yep, all those good old insecurities feelings of 1972!
I'm standing in the doorway here. The beds are bunked and to the immediate right--this room is seriously small!
We've talked to Bess several times this week. After moving in on Sunday morning, she auditioned for a spot on the marching field. She just called to let us know that she got a spot and will be marching her trumpet this fall and going to New York to march with the Miami Marching Redhawks in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. She's making new friends and says that college band camp is so much more fun than high school band camps. She went to her first party last night, hosted by one of the band upperclassman. Gulp. "Relax Mom" she tells me and even though it goes against every motherly instinct I have, I take a deep breath and tell myself that she's (I'm?) ready for this new stage of life.
So, all's quiet on the homefront here. We're all trying to realize our new "normal." Grace is wondering how life will be with "just Mom and Dad" and we're wondering that same thing ourselves. Grace went to a friend"s house for overnight and Gary and I sat and talked about how empty nesters must feel and wonder what do they do? Thankfully we will have a few years to think about that question and how to "re-invent" (Emma's words) ourselves as a couple. We throw out suggestions-- Do we remember how to play backgammon? Should we learn to dance? Neither of us like to bowl.
We watch Wheel of Fortune, have a beverage and ponder life. Umm...