Excited

 Robby did a phenomenal job advocating for his housing arrangement. Although it was a frustrating situation, he remained both calm and kind. He stayed resolute and made himself heard which was a feat because he was actively being dismissed. Although the situation did not completely rectify, he does have a room assignment and we are proceeding with moving in tomorrow.

Yikes! I cannot believe that my sweet little Koopa is moving into his college dorm tomorrow. Wasn't I just scaling over bushes to spy on him after I dropped him off for kindergarten? I'm not sure how or when it happened, but somehow over the years my kiddo grew up.

The excitement level is high in our house. Plastic tubs and boxes are packed and piled in the corner of the dining room, waiting to be put into our rented van today. Tomorrow morning we head to Shepherd and move Robby into his dorm room. 

I'm choosing to focus on the excitement. When I look at the totality of this change I become emotional and overwhelmed, which would not benefit anybody. When I think about him leaving, my heart shatters. But when I concentrate on the adventures that he will experience, I feel excited for him. 

I'm choosing excitement.

Advocacy

 Due to roommate and housing blunders of an epic proportion, today Robby and I will head to campus to try to sort everything out in person. I don't know why these mix-ups always seems to happen to our family. I realize that I am stressed and that my emotions are running high because I feel like raging which would not help anything. I am frustrated and angry that we have to navigate other people's mistakes during the week before move-in day. At this point, he doesn't even have anywhere to move into and the flubs and mistakes made through the university administration process have not instilled confidence.

It is probably a good thing that Robby will be forced to advocate for himself today. Through all of the orientations the message to parents was clear: on campus, the students lead all charges. I can't overtly fight for him, but I can sure as hell make sure he knows what to say and how to say it! Robby has spent his life watching advocacy in action, but today is really the first time he is going to be putting the skills to work for himself. 

Fingers crossed we raised him well.

Stressed

 After a wonderful weekend escaping reality with my friend it is back to reality. Unfortunate for my sanity, our reality is chaotic and emotional as we ready Robby for college while simultaneously selling FlexyFriends at the fair. I keep trying to remind myself to relax and enjoy the moment, but I feel like I'm drowning under everything that needs to be done. 

Robby is scheduled to move in on Saturday, but yesterday we discovered that he does not yet have an accurate room and roommate assignment. The individual whom we thought was his roommate now claims to be assigned to a different room, leaving Robby alone and without a room. We contacted the school immediately to try to glean his dorm information but, as of this morning, we have not yet heard back. Hopefully we will be able to situate his dorm and roommate today because time is truly ticking.

Talk about a stressful week!

Surprise

 My apologies for not posting on Thursday or Friday. In a turn that is completely out of my norm, I went away with a friend and decided (at the last minute) to leave my computer at home. I cannot remember the last time I completely escaped and disconnected!

My dear friend is turning 50 next month and will also be celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary. Several months ago her husband contacted me and asked for my assistance to transport her to a surprise party on Friday night. Without hesitation I agreed and my mind immediately began spinning with the possibilities. 

Because the end goal was to transport her to a surprise party, I opted to keep with the theme. After making sure that she was free to travel away for the night before, I decided to extend the surprises by not telling her where we were going or what we were doing. I simply emailed her a list of items to pack and told her when I would arrive at her house.

Planning this adventure was a little more complicated because of the hard stop at the end (the party) and the weather. Unfortunately, this past weekend the remnants of the hurricane blew through the area, forcing me to abandon all outdoor activities. After much planning, cancellations and regrouping, I finally settled on a getaway to Philadelphia. 

We had a great time! I am proud to report that I delivered her to the party (and surprise vow renewal) on time and completely unaware. 

Dorm in a Box

 More progress was made towards college preparations. Since Robby is not terribly interested in shopping for dorm supplies, I took matters into my own hands. I found a 'dorm in a box' kit online and, after I had Robby choose his colors and work through the other options, I abandoned all visions of strolling through Target with my son and hit purchase now online. Since Rob did not want to go shopping, it seemed like the best option. 

With the dorm supplies en route, there is no denying that we are coming to the final countdown. I can't believe that he leaves for college in 10 days! My heart hurts when I think about it, but it simultaneously leaps with excitement. I know that he is going to have a wonderful time, but I am going to miss him dearly.

Getting Ready

 With the calendar turning last week, all attention has shifted towards Robby. Much like me, he is afraid of change. He leaves for college in about two weeks and to describe him as scared would do a disservice. Per his request, we have kept collegiate talk to a minimum until August. Now that the month has arrived, there he can no longer avoid the topic. 

He is petrified, excited, and anxious all jumbled together. I look into his eyes and I can feel his fear.  I remember being nearly paralyzed with fear as I readied for college. Despite being scared, I also knew that it was the right move to make. I understand his terror, but I also have the perspective of knowing that he is going to be okay.

Yesterday Robby discovered his roommate assignment deep in an email system he didn't know existed. I suspect that his assigned roommate is in a similar situation and perhaps does not know that Residence Life is already communicating through campus email. (In that vein they will be completely compatible!) We are encouraging Robby to text his new roommate, but he is apprehensive to make the first move. I'm uncertain about how much to push him, but it would be nice to know if we need to bring a refrigerator and microwave.

Listerine

 A few evenings ago I was in the tub, listening to an audio book and trying to escape into the bubbles. Despite my warning that I was taking a bath and the request to be left alone, the knocking on the door began about five minutes after I submerged. It turns out that Timmy wanted a toothbrush. 

I asked him to wait until I was done in the tub, but his knocking became more persistent. 

"No Momom. Please. Let Daddy just grab the blue toothbrush on the shelf. I need it real quick,"

My interest was piqued. Why did he so desperately need a toothbrush, and why the blue one specifically? I was curious, but certainly not enough to stop my bath. I popped some bubbles and settled back for a few minutes of relaxation. And then, as if I was shocked into reality, I realized that the 'blue' toothbrush he was describing was mine.

"Timmy," I called from my quickly cooling bubble oasis. "The blue toothbrush is mine. What are you doing with my toothbrush?"

He started to become panicked as he explained that he wasn't using my blue toothbrush but the 'other one.' Looking from my perch in the tub, I could clearly see that there was only one blue toothbrush. With my bath retreat ruined over the prospect of what was brewing, I wiped away the bubbles and got dressed.

As soon as opened the door Timmy was ready to explain. He immediately grabbed the toothbrush, my toothbrush, and asked me to follow him to his bedroom. Without missing a beat he put the blue toothbrush, my toothbrush, into the cat's mouth. 

He read that a cat is reminded of their mother if you gently massage their gums with a toothbrush. He has been doing it nightly to bond with them. Timmy has been brushing the cat's teeth with my toothbrush for weeks.  

There isn't enough Listerine to make my mouth feel fresh today.