There's no good way to catch you up on everything from the past year+, but I've come to another milestone and feel like I need to nod to it in some way. This past Sunday, we dropped off (baby) Kate at college.
I know, right? Momentous. We are now officially empty-nesters, because the week prior, our college-grad Alex packed up his car, and his girlfriend's car, and a moving Pod on a truck, and drove west for 3 days straight, landing them in California where he will start a job -- in his field, no less -- on August 17.
I just feel like it deserves a full stop.
Just... in a week's time, they're both gone.
The whole summer in preparation for these things has felt big and ominous -- you might say stressful (!) -- and yet, here I am, on a Wednesday, on my laptop as usual at the kitchen table. The anticipation was worse, I guess, than the actual things. (Not to discount the special misery that was moving Kate in: A 95-degree day in Georgia, a 2:45pm move-in time, the absolute PEAK of the day's temperature and not a cloud in sight, struggling to heft alllll of her stuff up the significant hill to the dorm entrance... Not a lot of fun.)
But it's a whole different chapter, isn't it? I'm trying to be gentle about it, and to keep acknowledging it, and giving us, in my mind, the credit we do deserve for the work we did to get here. I suppose this whole blog acknowledges that work. It's hard to believe the "kids" phase is really done. They're not kids! I mean, sure, Kate is 18 and still needs us -- even I need my own parents, still! -- but you know what I mean. Kids at home.
I haven't been super sad or lonely yet, although it is odd to lock the front door and leave it that way, with no one coming through it, or parking in the driveway, anytime soon. I have enjoyed the extra time to myself on the weekday mornings -- have managed to do a 10- or 20-minute workout all three mornings so far, in fact, and I'm grateful to have that time back! And I think Shawn and I will figure out our "new life" pretty quickly, which I look forward to.
Of course, they'll be back; Kate particularly, on her school breaks, though we know we won't see as much of her as we did of Alex during his college years. She's so social (going through sorority rush right now, in fact) and if her first time being independent is anything like mine was, she will be happy and busy and may have to be reminded to go home for Thanksgiving, honestly!
But as I sit here watching the bluebirds (my favorites!) come to my bird bath to cool off, I'm anticipating this fall as a very cozy me-season. Time to think, and maybe write, and find other things I love doing. I'm optimistic. (A little bewildered. But optimistic.)
