Taking Mike to School - Last Day!

On Friday, we took a tour of the campus. We got to see Mike's dorm room. Somehow the kid managed to put it all together! Unfortunately, we ended up having to take back home one piece of furniture. Phil was predicting it though so it wasn't unexpected. LOL!

We also got to meet his roommate and his suitemates. I think they will have a great time.

I laughed because the college gave us a folder with all this advice. One of these tidbits said that we should teach our child to do his own laundry. It's a little late now, isn't it? I mean, if they wanted people to know that, shouldn't they have sent that letter home at the beginning of the summer? Anyway, fortunately for Mike, he has been "coached". He knows how to cook, do his laundry, and clean a bathroom. Now, if he doesn't choose to do those things, that's his choice. He'll figure it out. Everyone else does.

So we gave Mike a big hug, and we were off. And yes, he has already called me.

"Super" Climbs a Mountain of Sand!

On Thursday, while Mike worked on unpacking his bags. We took the boys to Great Sand Dunes National Park. The mountains were beautiful. I had never seen anything like them before. But the sand dunes were crazy! (Yes, those specks at the bottom of the picture are people!)

A movie in the Visitor's Center explained how the sand dunes were created. It seems the dunes were formed from sand deposits from the Rio Grande (and the streams coming from that). Then the wind picked the sand up and carried it until it hit the mountain. This process continues to happen today. The wind reshapes the dunes on a daily basis and the streams keep bringing the sand back. I know, the kids were thinking, "yeah, yeah, whatever" too. But Phil and I thought that was cool!

Super might not have been as interested in how the sand got there, but he made up his mind that he was going to climb to the top. The top is about 800 feet high. That may not seem like much, until you realize that you have to climb up sand. And that it's not just one dune. It's one dune that goes up 100 feet, then down 50 feet. Then another dune that goes up 50 feet, and down 25 feet. Then another dune that goes up 100 feet, and then down 25 feet. You get the idea. It's like a Stairmaster...in the sand.

Tutone and I got about halfway up and then he decided he was finished. I was just as glad to let him take the blame. "That's right, he can't make it any further. Sorry, that's too bad. " But Super was determined and there was no stopping him. I told Phil that we'd see them back down at the bottom. And we waved goodbye. Tutone and I made our way back down while they continued the climb up.

Don't you know that kid made it all the way to the top? He was mighty proud of himself. And he should be. When we got back to our B&B, The AppleLodge, we found out that in the all time that they had owned their place (which to be fair was only three or four years) only three other people that had stayed with them had ever made it to the top. And, of course, they had all been adults.

Super said it was one of the two best vacations in his whole life. Our family reunion where he gets to see his cousins being the other one. Yes, he is for real.

Taking Mike to School Day 3

After two long days in the van, we finally arrived! Mike spent the night with his grandparents in their RV, while Phil and I and the boys went to a great bed and breakfast. The next morning we went to the campus and signed Mike in.

Then we prepared mentally to unpack the van. We pulled the van around to the side of Mike's dorm. But we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the college had the football team, girl's volleyball team, and both basketball teams there to help student's unload their vehicles. What a relief! It took less than 5 minutes to unload the van!

And soon his room went from looking like there would be enough room for all his stuff, back to my worrying about where he was going to put everything! But we left him there to figure it out and we went to lunch. We enjoyed our lunch at the San Luis Valley Brewing Company. Then we went to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. But that's a story for another blog.

Taking Mike to School Day 1

I am amazed that it takes 9 months for your child to come into the world, but it takes only one day to get them packed to leave! Okay, to be fair, all the fathers out there are thinking, "One day, nothing! These kids have been here for 18 years!" But it still seemed like it didn't take any time at all to turn Mike's room from the mess, I mean, home it was into our new guest room.

Meanwhile, Mike was excited. And so he should be! College is going to be a great experience for him. He told me, "This is the coolest thing I've ever done." Hopefully he'll still feel like that after his first test!

He did have a hard time leaving the dog though.


We left the dog behind at home. Some friends, The Potts, came in a few times every day to feed and care for her. Our friends, the Viljoens, came by to visit her as well. With her well cared for I could relax and concentrate on Mike.


Now, I started crying before we even got in the car.
But I did get a sweet picture of Mike with Super and Tutone.

The van was filled to the brim with Mike's stuff. Phil and I couldn't imagine where he thought he was going to put it all! Mike kept telling us that dorm rooms were bigger than they used to be. Not that much bigger!

Finally, with the van all packed we were on our way.