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"

College Send-Off for Morgan

 Back in the spring when the girls came home from college, they just brought their college stuff home and piled most of it on to a table or on the floor in our basement.  We all knew that they would need it again for the fall, but that felt so far away at the time.  Now that it's (already) time to head back, they have spent much of this most recent week sorting through those same boxes, organizing and re-organizing, and then packing what they need while putting the things they never used back into their room.  It was quite the process and there were moments when we were just climbing over piles and weaving through the basement trying to walk wherever we were able.

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Here is a look at our basement the week before the big send-off:

Eventually it all came together and then we started bringing it all upstairs and loaded into the cars.  Since we were storing furniture for Morgan's roommate who would arrive on campus earlier in the week, we needed to take one trip up on Thursday so we could deliver it to her early.  Then we would pack up the rest to be ready for when Morgan drove up on Saturday afternoon.

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On Saturday, after we left Melayna's cross country meet, Noel and I drove the van, loaded down with Morgan's belongings and then Morgan and Marissa drove Morgan's car to campus where Morgan would check-in and pick up her keys.  We all met up in the parking lot outside of her dorm.

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Watching the kids say their 'good-byes' is always bittersweet.

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Anyway... back to her arrival on campus...

Morgan will be living in a different dorm again this year with three other girls.  She will share one bedroom with one girl and then the two other girls will share the second bedroom.  The living area isn't quite as large as her space from last year, but this dorm is closer to the student union, her on campus job and all of her classes, so she thinks that it's a fair trade.  

This dorm has a large lobby area on each of the three floors.  If it's like the dorm that she lived in during her freshman year, the boys in this dorm will end up using the area for poker tournaments and wrestling matches while the girls stay hidden in their rooms.  LOL

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Morgan was able to use her ID to get herself into the dorm and then we found her room and dropped off one small load.  When we went back outside and started bringing the larger furniture in, we found out that the rock that we had used to prop the doors had been kicked out of the way by someone and we weren't able to get back in, so she had to bang on her roommate's window to get her attention and have her come let us in.  We made sure that someone took a turn guarding the door and holding it open after that. 

"Helloooooo, please come and let us back in!"

Finally we had everything inside her room and Noel helped her loft her bed so that she could put her desk and much of her storage underneath.  It really opened up her room and gave the girls much more open space.

After she got most of her things settled into the closet and got her bed made, we made a quick run to the grocery to pick up a few breakfast and snack items and then we came back to say our 'good-byes'.  She still had a lot to do, but she would have the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday to decorate and get everything organized like she wants.  

I'm excited to see the finished product of her bedroom and the living areas.  Hopefully she will send pictures once everyone gets completely settled in.

"Oh Morgan... You will do great this senior year and although I already miss you terribly, I know that God has a great purpose for your life.  Seek after him, and you will find success in all of your ways. I'm so excited to see how much you will grow and how far you will come in these months ahead.  

I just pray that the days go by quickly until you get to come home again."

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.