The first part of the drive (January 1st), she kept hoping there was some reason she should be staying in town with family, friends and familiar surroundings – wailing, isn’t quit the word, but close. But as we got closer to BYU-I (January 2nd), she became more and more determined that her life was changing and she got more excited the closer we got.
We spent Monday moving her into her apartment, attending a welcome meeting, shopping for household items she still needed, dinner and FHE at the Brownings’ (yes, there is family about 20 minutes away) and grocery shopping before the store closed at 11 PM. Once we got back to her apartment, we lingered and helped her unpack a bit more, then we had to leave. We hadn’t had a chance for a father’s blessing up to this point, so she sat in the front seat and me behind her. It was a very teary and emotional thing to give hugs and kisses and drive away. We stayed at the Brownings’ in Rigby (did I mention it is only 20 minutes away), just in case she might need something else and call us. The call didn’t come and we had to leave by mid-morning.
Now, a few weeks down the road, she is happy, loves school and her roommate, is exasperated by how messy some of her roommates are and we get to talk to her once in a while, review a paper she’s nervous about submitting for an assignment and see how she’s already growing in confidence and abilities.
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| Ready to leave from Grandma's to Rexburg - January 2nd |
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| Nauvoo House II |
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| Second floor |
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| Excited for school! |
It is a wonderful thing to see your children grow and take on the responsibility for their own lives, bit by bit. But it also means that Laurie and I will soon be empty nesters – something that is a bit hard to handle, especially when we love spending time with our children so much.
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