College Send-Off for Marissa

 We had barely gotten home and gotten use to the idea that Morgan was gone and we were going to have to do it all over again with Marissa just two days later.  Knowing that due to her swimming schedule, it will be a longer time before she gets to come all the way back home, we made sure to spend much of Sunday playing games and just soaking in those last hours together.

On Monday morning, Marissa and I ran a couple of last minute errands and then Noel helped us pack up the cars.  We still had about two hours before we would need to leave the house, so Marissa offered to buy us some drinks and snacks from our local Starbucks.  I think it's safe to say that Noel isn't a frequent customer of Starbucks so he let Marissa order his drink for him.  

He said he liked it but I still don't really see him being a repeat customer, although who knows, maybe he will begin stopping there every morning to get a fancy drink before heading off to the job site.  LOL

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A couple of hours later, we arrived on the campus of IWU and we all walked into the student center so she could do her early check-in and pick up her keys.  Classes don't start until the 28th and it's really only athletes and RA's on campus so I have to admit that I have never seen it that empty inside the student union.  It was almost eery how quiet it all was.

She received her keys and then we drove over to Scripture Hall where she will be living in an apartment style dorm with three of her swimming teammates.  She will share a bedroom with one girl and then two girls will share the other bedroom.  They all will share one bathroom and a common living area.   Since their room is all the way on the fourth floor, we were grateful that there were carts in the lobby that we could use to haul all of her things up to her room.

And then the view from inside her room...

The door opens to the common living area and then there is a small sink and a bathroom right around the corner to the left.

And then this is the room that Marissa will share with Emma.  When we arrived, they had the two beds on each side of the window and two desks on the back walls.  It felt a little crowded like that so the girls asked Noel if he could assemble the beds up into bunk beds and that really opened up a lot more room.

Here is how it was looking right before we left...

I know that Emma is bringing in a rug and several plants and both of the girls plan to put together a photo wall (or two), so I'm sure that they will do a great job making it feel more like home in the days ahead.

Even though I had all summer to get ready for this day, it certainly arrived much quicker than my heart was prepared for.  "Marissa, I know that you are right where God wants you to be and that He will equip you for what He has called you to do.  I am praying that this year is a year full of joy for you and that God's favor will shine on you and all of your academic and athletic endeavors; all for His glory.  Shine bright Marissa Joy.  We love you and our house just isn't the same without you here"

Morgan's Drop-Off at Trine // Year #2 About to Begin

 As soon as we left Melayna's cross country meet, we headed up to Trine so Morgan could pick up her keys and get checked into her apartment.  She will be sharing a place with five other girls this year.  It's a three bedroom apartment and two girls will be put into each room.  Morgan had a roommate that she knew a little but then two weeks ago that girl decided that she would not be able to stay on campus so Morgan was recently assigned a new roommate whom she has never met.  We are praying that it goes well and that they are able to become good friends over the course of the year.

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Always sad to say goodbye.  Nolan likes to pretend that he doesn't care, but he really does miss his sister when she's gone.

And then we loaded the van and got it all ready to go.

Last year Morgan had to check into school on a Friday morning and Marissa was in high school so she didn't go with us last year.  Since she hasn't ever been on Trine's campus, she asked if she could go with us this year and it was nice to have her along with us to help us carry things and get Morgan all settled in.

Morgan went to the student union and was able to check in and get her keys and then just as we arrived to the front of her dorm, it started to sprinkle.  Thankfully her room has a deck in the front and we were all able to carry her stuff to the covered deck and just hand them to her over the railing.  Then Marissa helped her carry all of it to her room.  We also lofted her bed just a little higher so she could slide her refrigerator and storage under the bed.  Then she could put things away later after we left.  We also ran to the Dollar General to pick up some groceries before saying our goodbyes outside the dorm and then heading back home.

Here is their living area.  Right now the couches are all squished in there but after everyone moves in and gets their room settled, the chairs will be put back.

There aren't any kitchens in these apartments, but they are all allowed to have refrigerators, air fryers and microwaves so all of the girls have a lesser meal plan and will eat more meals back in their rooms, I'm sure.

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Saying goodbye is obviously never easy, but it does help knowing that this is her second year and she already has friends and a familiar campus.  

See you in just TWO weeks!

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On Sunday night, Morgan sent a couple of pictures of how her room turned out once everything was put away and it was decorated.  I think it turned out really cute.

Making it Official!!

IT'S OFFICIAL!

Marissa has made her decision and is headed to Indiana Wesleyan University to swim next fall.

Marissa was invited down for an overnight visit with the team a couple of weeks ago.   The initial plan was for her to swim and work out with the team during a Friday night and Saturday practice session but because Marissa is now officially in season, state athletic rules forbid her from working out with a college team.  We were nervous that this could affect her chances, but when she told the coach, the school told her that they still wanted her to come down and watch the practices and meet more of the team.  She also was able to spend the night with a couple of swimmers in their dorm and she went to a team dinner and craft night with them also.  

Before she went to bed Friday night, Marissa emailed us to tell us that they had officially offered and that it was a really good offer.  She told them that she needed time to talk it over with her family, but since IWU had been her first choice all along, we were pretty sure that she would say 'yes'.

She did email the coach later Sunday night and gave her verbal commitment and by Monday afternoon, IWU swim had made it Instagram official!!

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Within minutes, that original post was being reposted over and over by friends, family and teammates.  There were too many shares to post here, but I'll post a couple of her favorites:

And her cross country coaches would also repost the announcement on Twitter (X):

Congratulations Marissa on working hard and chasing your dreams!  As your parents, we are so proud of you and cannot wait to see where God continues to take you as you follow him.

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Where it all started -- back in the 2nd grade!!

First Day // College Drop-Off // The Oldest's Adventure

The big day has come (and gone) for Morgan as we dropped her off at Trine University on Friday, August 18th for her first official weekend in college.  

We all had mixed feelings leading up to this day as we were obviously so proud of her and her accomplishments up to this point and this is what is suppose to happen -- grow up and leave for your own adventures!!  So we were excited for her to experience her next adventure... but we all also know that her leaving will bring a lot of changes and leave a huge void in our own house as we make the adjustment.  (I have already set too many plates at the table for our family dinner once or twice, which makes me sad.)

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After the other three kiddos started back to school the week before, Morgan and I really got busy planning and preparing the last details that needed to fall into place before she headed off.  She pulled out everything from her bedroom that she planned to bring and started making piles in our downstairs living area along with the few things that others had passed on to her.  Then we went shopping to get the remaining items on her list and to fill in the gaps.

Piles...

... Piles...

...and more stacks and piles!

In the midst of the craziness, she said that Panda Express sounded really good so she took me there for lunch - and then the shopping resumed.

She didn't really need anything from Bath and Body, but she had gift cards to use, so why not?

And then on to Walmart.

I think we were done... for that day.

Her laptop had also come in the mail the week before, so she downloaded the programs that she knew she needed and personalized it so it was ready to go.

On Thursday we headed out again -- this time to Fort Wayne.  Once again she had gift cards to use at Barnes and Noble, so we spent a little time in there before eating lunch together at Panera and finishing our afternoon at Costco.

In the midst of the shopping and packing, Morgan also made sure to spend plenty of time hanging out with her family and friends.  She met up with several high school friends to say "good bye" as they all headed out and she also spent a lot of extra time with Nolan.

Here he is showing her how to use his new VR headset.

All together at Great America

Last Day as a lifeguard for the summer...

More time with Nolan.

... finally, on Thursday night before she left, Amslie, Luke, and Aaron all came over to play cards and to say good-bye.  We all stayed up way too late but it was totally worth it.

On Thursday night we also packed up the van to make sure that it all fit and thankfully it did, with a little room to spare.  LOL

Drop off was scheduled from 9-1 on Friday morning so we dropped Nolan off at his school at 9:00 a.m. and then we made the 90 minute drive up to campus and got her checked in at the University Student Center before driving to her dorm where we were greeted by about seven upper classmen who made really quick work of getting her stuff delivered to her room.

Morgan will be living in Honors Housing this first year and the rooms in that dorm are apartment style.  She will share a bedroom with a roommate and then there is a second bedroom with two other girls in her apartment.  They share one large bathroom, and a larger living area.  The college provided a kitchen table and a couch / chairs and then the girls had to bring a microwave, refrigerator, and any storage and shelving that they thought they would need.  By the time that Morgan arrived, the other three had already been there for a couple of hours and most of the apartment was already put together.

The four girls were going to go out over the weekend to pick up cleaning supplies and any other decorations they wanted for their shared living space.  

It was pretty crowded and chaotic in there with four college students and two other sets of parents so Noel and I went for a walk around campus and let Morgan have some time to get her bed made and a few clothes put into the closet.  She made a lot of progress in the 45 minutes that we were gone and then when we got back, we put together a couple of smaller things before taking pictures and giving hugs.  I'm not quite sure how I made it out of there without any tears (lots and lots of prayers from friends and family, I guess), but we were all smiling when we said "good-bye" and she was ready to head out to her first orientation event, so it definitely helped to know that she would be busy for most of the day.

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Noel and I headed out and drove a short while before stopping for a late lunch.  Both of us were surprised at how easily the drop off seemed to go and how friendly the students all seemed to be.  We also felt a lot of peace about dropping her off and driving away, so that is definitely an answer to prayer and a huge gift from God to our family.

'Must not have been too bad... we are both smiling. 

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P.S. EDITED TO ADD: It's now Monday afternoon.   After a busy and eventful welcome weekend, she and her roommates are still working on the living area but here are pictures of her dorm room now that it is decorated and organized.  

She's texted a couple of times about some of the events that she has attended and she was excited to head off to her classes on Monday morning.  She said that she's doing really really good and that makes my heart glad!!