<p>Share your tears and story here! I am having difficulty posting on this site. Post your story and I will add mine!</p>
<p>It's been started on Ready, Set, Go</p>
<p>Okay, now that I am in here goes mine.</p>
<p>For me it is two sons off to college this Fall. One is a returning student with his own group apartment this year. He is pleased as punch to have his own room and bring his bike. There is a 10 minute bike path from the apartment to the campus and this has allievated much worry on my behalf as he WILL NOT wear a helmet and it will at least keep him off the roads.I did not go for his move it as the the car was jammed and there was no room . So I took the usual photo by the car, gave the usual hugs and kisses and pleas to email and phone. He is SO ready to go! Now, one week later we hear he has found the girls apartment across the hall and they are feeding him homemade lasagna and baked cookies. ( Which allievates my fears as his jaw is wired shut due to a summer recreational accident.) He is happy and ready for classes!
Child #4 goes tomorrow. I will fit into the car for this one. This son is excited and happy to go also. What stricks me about both sons is the fact neither had/has much interesting in their dorm or apartment. So it was up to me to gather everything from bedding to pots and pans, toilet brush to bath caddy. It was hectic for me and reached my limit but nevertheless, it all got done and I truly onder how anyone of less financial means than us could put everything into place for the move of two colleg students at the same time.</p>
<p>I have no tears but am excited, joyous and happy to start more of a life for myself after 27 years of so much sacrifice for my children.I will try not to worry about them too.</p>
<p>Well, Motherdear, considering there are 12 pages there it is time for a new start. Had I found the other thread I would have posted there. It was nice to read Curmudge's post and do appreciate . Thank you.</p>
<p>Move in day went very smoothly. We got there the night before. We drove past the dorm to figure out how to get there the next morning. We saw that many students were already moving in despite the fact that move in day was the next day, and they stated that moving in early is discouraged. We were too late to begin moving in, so we waited until the next morning. We arrived at 7:30 and unloaded our car. Arriving early was key, and we did not need to wait on a drop off line. H then went to a storage facility that was holding another trunkload (brought that during an early summer one day orientation). He dropped that off, and then my H went to pick up a pre ordered bookshelf. We were allowed to move everything upstairs to the front of his dorm room at 8:00 and S was able to get a key at 8:45. There were plenty of students available to help with the move in process. I was dreading the elevator, b/c I heard stories of horrible lines at other schools, but we had no problem. It was great b/c we had the room to ourselves to unpack and organize for about an 1.5 hours before his roommate arrived. S was set up and ready to say goodbye at 11:00am. We drove off, and continued straight from there for our family vacation (minus our older S). We were able to logistically fit our suitcases on the top or our car (car rack with storage on top). On the way back from our trip we were able to buy and deliver a TV for our son and his roommate. S is adjusting well, and seems very happy. </p>
<p>I thank you all for your packing and move in tips. The hand truck was a great idea. We packed about 5 medium boxes that S was able to stack onto the handtruck for one easy trip. It also came in very handy for bringing in the refigerator. It folds up nicely, taking up little space in our car.</p>
<p>I got to do the "move-in thing" with my son and his girlfriend this year. They were moving from summer housing into fall housing and my visit coincided with this event. I rented an SUV at the airport and we all went to work the next day. Two days and it was done, fun and I got to know the girlfriend fairly well in a short space of time. Then I was asked by my son to prepare homemade tortillas and Mexican cooking for some friends in their community kitchen. That was fun too. I got the flavor of the school, students and accommodations. So what I missed out on last year not being able to send my kid off to college and only getting the "return to the empty house and room" syndrome was made up for amply this year.</p>
<p>I had two move in to college this year -- one to an unfurnished off campus apartment at a campus 300 miles away, the other to a dorm across the country. I used a system I highly recommend: I stayed home and let the kids move themselves. I did help my son by giving him my old car (which also saved me from having to help him move out of his old apartment). I put my daughter on a plane, let her do her own packing but helped her ship 3 large packages to herself. Mildly stressful worrying about what the kids forgot, but the only issue was that the kids got into a big tiff over which one of them would get to take the videogame console. So I kind of like this new twist on the phrase "stay at home mom".</p>
<p>This is a story from last year's move in with my son. After the move in last year, it was a bit too busy to enter the story...and then I just forgot I never told the story here.</p>
<p>We arrived at school around 9 AM of freshman move in day. It only took us about 20 minutes to get our two cars parked near the freshman dorms. As is the strategy at most schools we started unloading our two cars worth of stuff into a pile so we could then move the car to a far away lot. I was unloading one car and my wife the other. Suddenly a loud scream pierced the air. It took me a second to realize it was my wife screaming. An SUV in the next parking space was backing out and drove over my wife's foot. Actually he drove over it twice as when he heard the scream he drove the car forward.</p>
<p>As usual there were a lot of campus police present to help move-in...so in about 30 seconds there were 6-8 cops there to help. The main road into the dorm area was cleared quickly so the ambulance and police cruisers with first aid gear could get in. The campus police did a great job handling the situation and before we knew it, we were wisked off to the hospital. The move-in helpers and RA's immediately swarmed in help my S. He said later all his stuff was in his room in about 2 minutes.</p>
<p>The tire tread marks on my wife's foot were still quite visible when we got to the hospital. After x-rays it was determined that nothing was broken...but there was a fair amount of soft tissue injury. Hurray !! We got great treatment at the hospital and were ready to get back to campus in about 2 hours.</p>
<p>Back at campus they had a wheelchair waiting and a lift equipped van waiting. They were able to transport us to my Ss dorm to we could see he was settling in ok and then transported us to the mid-afternoon convocation and later out to our car.</p>
<p>Now a year later, lots of doctor's visits, cortizone shots, and some surgery my wife's foot is doing pretty well. It is still tender at times, but for the most part ok under normal use.</p>
<p>My son was a bit of a celebrity during the early part of the semester. He has still not spoken to the other kid in his dorm who was at the wheel. </p>
<p>It is now a running joke in our family whenever my wife is near a car backing up. This year we moved our DD into her freshmam dorm at a different university. My wife was made to get out of the car and wait well away from any moving vehicles while her stuff was unloaded. :-)</p>
<p>Besides my story on another thread about the debacle of the loft bed for WildChild's room at Penn, there is another interesting development. There are two other kids from his wonderful boarding school starting at Penn. One is S's former roommate and best friend, a recruited wrestler and great student. The other is the son of the boarding school's Dean of Academics, a truly outstanding young man. This kid grew up on the school campus, led a very sheltered life and never went to a party until senior year. He is a top student and all around great kid. He never breaks a rule. I KNOW his father's one fear was that he would strike up a friendship with my son. The father never "got" my son, although most of the rest of the faculty did. Well-this kid is now glued to my son and his equally adventurous roommate as they explore Penn. They have crashed the Hillel reception and the International reception. My blond son managed to convince someone he was Korean. I'm loving it.</p>
<p>What's the loft story?</p>
<p>BL1: I'm SO sorry to hear about the foot injury. Something like that could cause pain for a long time. Will keep it in mind during our move in tomorrow.</p>
<p>Called Toronto where W took remaining stuff to S and to help move to apartment from temp quarters. UHaul van was not rented for the short trip of a few blocks. "Don't Ask" was clearly heard.</p>
<p>Here's the loft story:
WildChild got a single (his first choice) at Penn. It turns out the singles are absolutely tiny. Dear S decided he would find a lofted bed somewhere in the dorm, since he did early move-in. None to be had. He found one in the IKEA catalogue and last Sunday while he and H had the rented UHaul, they made a major excursion to IKEA, complete with long line, to acquire it. Meanwhile, I was on my first business trip for my new job and enjoying life on the corporate plane and then on the shores of Lake Superior in a gorgeous lodge. H and WildChild went through hell trying to build up the IKEA bed (I think a wrench was dropped down the heating ducts), and then S was told by the Penn facilities folks that you aren't allowed to move the dorm furniture and they will not haul it off for you. (He has been at a number of boarding schools and the unwanted chairs, beds etc were just moved somewhere else). So-the IKEA bed had to come down. All the packaging had been discarded so it was not returnable. H was about to scream. He blamed WildChild for not figuring all this out in advance. As H and I know, EVERYTHING involving WildChild is a production! IKEA bed now awaits re-selling on craigslist or next year's use in an apartment and is resting peacefully in the suburbs in the back of my parents' garage. I enjoyed a beer with my new co-workers and surveyed the beauty of northern MN. I did NOT tell H what a nice trip I was having.</p>
<p>I think maybe you could get rid of the IKEA bed locally. Put up signs and photos on campus . Maybe a friend will buy it. The thing about Penn is SO MANY kids live in off campus apartments.So many local colleges there and kids who live in the Penn community. I do think there are certain university sanctioned companies who will loft the university bed for a fee.
At any rate, a small problem. You do sound exuberant!</p>
<p>Well...here is DS's move in story. He was moving from one apartment to a new apartment. He had to be out of the first place by midnight on Aug 31 BUT he couldn't be in the new place until 7 am on Sept 1. So...DH rented a truck. Now it gets better. My good hearted son offered to move THREE other friends. Two of them were moving out of his first apartment with him...but only one was moving into the new apartment. The second was moving to a different location. The last person is DS's third new roommate, but he was moving out of a different apartment. Do you follow that?? Well...the good news is that one of the kids' has relatives nearby so they took the truck to that house (locked up with three kids belongings in it), had a nice dinner and breakfast, and most importantly a good place to sleep!! They arrived at the new place at 7 am on Friday, and YES the rental agent offices in Boston ARE open at that time. The unlocked the door of the new place (which sounds absolutely terrific...good location, nice space, and a rental company instead of a slumlord) to find a very very dirty place. Luckily the evil mom (that would be me) packed a TON of cleaning supplies and tools over the severe objections of my son. They got to work and the place looked terrific by 3:00 when DH left to come home. The rental agent guys came to do an inspection of the place and when told how dirty it was, they said they should have withheld some of the deposit (for what?? why not rebate the NEW tenants who spent 8 hours disinfecting the place...). But it's fine now. New place is one block from the college campus and grocery store, has laundry facilities in the basement, has two bathrooms in their apartment, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and lots of new insulated windows so it's bright. DS chose the smallest bedroom but he says it's perfect for the belongings he has. DH came home and he wasn't at all grumpy...and he sure could have been. Oh...did I tell you that they were moving out of a third floor apartment and into a second floor apartment?? I'm glad <em>I</em> am taking the other kid to college in California!!</p>
<p>I found that out Thursday…</p>
<p>We arrived at the campus hotel at 2AM the day before early move-in. Actually we were happy to arrive at all. We left our house for the airport at 5PM. Hurricane Ernesto was threatening, so the flight was delayed. Then we heard thunder and saw lightning on the runway. We live in the lightning capital of the country and I figured we’d be going back home soon. Instead, after about a two hour delay, the airline announced that there is a clearing, so if we board quickly and take off, we may make it out. Very reassuring! The woman sitting in the airport behind me was arguing loudly with her husband that she didn’t want to board (I later noticed they were the last ones on).</p>
<p>Our plan was to check out her room (looked huge on the floor plan posted on the web) and then furnish accordingly from BBB & Target. I was very proud of my daughter for only having four suitcases, after hearing the stories of SUVs packed to the brim. I vividly remember going to college with ALL of my stuff packed into one of those footlocker trunks. Little did I know…</p>
<p>We got to the room and it was tiny. On the top floor with the ceiling slanted in (and leaking from a prior rainstorm). Her roomate was already moved in, but she was in a pre-orientation program and nowhere to be seen. My wife had a list of things to look for to decide what to buy. So it was off to lunch, BBB & Target. Four hours later, we arrived back to the room with a full carload of stuff from BBB (no point in going to Target since the trunk and back seat of our “full sized” rental was already full). In case you’re wondering- yes they did do the pre-order thing, but a lot of that stuff wound up being changed or added to. We were done setting up the room at about 6PM. My wife was still talking about going to Target after dinner. Thankfully, she thought better of it and agreed to just a nice dinner and call it a day.</p>
<p>The next morning we went to breakfast and Target. Of course, they were out of dorm refrigerators. I left them in Target and went to Best Buy (“the college kids cleaned us out of them”) and finally found a suitable one at Lowe’s. Back to Target to load up the rental. I wanted to go to a parent’s program staring at 1:30, but that didn’t happen. We went to the room, did more unpacking and then made the 3:00 session, leaving daughter in the room to unpack the rest. After that, we stopped at the UPS truck to pick up two more huge boxes we had shipped (I had almost forgotten about those). One of them was just filled with shoes (as was one of the suitcases we brought). I never got the woman/shoes thing, so I kept my mouth shut. I have no clue how she was going to get all of this stuff in the room, but somehow she did.</p>
<p>"I truly onder how anyone of less financial means than us could put everything into place for the move of two colleg students at the same time"</p>
<p>That would be us!!!! 1 in grad school, THREE undergrads! And of course, they are nowhere near each other.</p>
<p>Imagine a scene for "Grapes of Wrath" and that is what we look like. Bessie (our very old 256,000+ mile suburban), loaded down, carrying all their stuff with kiddos hanging out the windows. She has no air conditioning, and the front passenger door doesn't open. So son's get in and out through the window.</p>
<p>Can you just see us pulling into Princeton?</p>
<p>For the most part I don't usually care as that the boys and DD as well, having me laughing so hard my face hurts! We make the Beverly Hillbillies look like royalty!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>
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Can you just see us pulling into Princeton?
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</p>
<p>Can you post a youtube link? :)</p>
<p>Kat...just put a rocking chair on the top of that SUV.</p>
<p>I'm the evil mom. DD is going to the opposite coast. We are not shipping ANY boxes. Anything shipped will either have to be shipped back or stored. SO...we are both going which means four suitcases...one for linens, and the other three for clothes. She'll carry on her computer, and I'll carry her musical instruments. We did the BB and B order thing for the bulky stuff...mattress pad, foam topper, pillow, lamp...and we'll pick those up when we get to the college city. At the end of the year she can toss the bed "stuff" (we bought the least expensive "stuff" they had), and we'll deal with the desk lamp all $10 of it. Luckily she's going to a warm weather climate. Of course, THAT move in doesn't happen until Sept 13. I'm talking like it's going to go as smooth as glass...but this is the girl, and nothing goes smoothly with her. You'll get my posting about THAT move on Sept 17 when I return. Pray that it is a short one!!!</p>
<p>I don't have any great "Grapes of Wrath" vignette, but I do have a wonderful CC story. From April 15th until last week, I kept nagging the daughter to contact Nora, a CC poster who was going to be a first-year student at Wellesley. Nora, I kept telling the daughter, was from Zurich and thrilled to have been accepted at the school my daughter chose by default. Needless to say, the daughter never got around to e-mailing Nora. We arrived at Wellesley, met the roommate, dropped off the bags, and my daughter rushed to a meeting while my husband and I hung out at the student center. Suddenly, my daughter ran up to us with an adorable young woman in tow. Yes, of course, it was Nora! Nora, by the way, was a high school exchange student in Chicago, and her teachers there encouraged her to attend college in the US. She read Hillary Clinton's autobiography and decided that she wanted to attend the Senator's alma mater. Thanks to CC and everyone who helped to make the first few days at school worry-free . . .for Mom and Dad</p>
<p>katwkittens: Oh my goodness, that is hysterical!!! Grapes of Wrath, my favorite book ever, right up there with Gone with the Wind! That's very funny kat, 4!! I would pass out!</p>