Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Monday, July 21, 2014

Three men and a girl



AKA -- I made an apology in advance to our neighbors this weekend. "For awhile, our driveway and curb are going to look like a used car lot."



All the chicks are back home. On Thursday, Faith and I went to campus to pack up the kitchen of Joshua's apartment and fill the van with boxes to bring home. On Saturday, we took a car and a van and loaded them up and brought the rest home (a lot of which went straight to the curb because of stupid landlord rules that it couldn't go in the dumpster). I cleaned the apartment and we locked up and left. As I did all this, I had many thoughts to share with those of you following closely in my footsteps -- getting ready to send your babies off to college. Alas, those thoughts are now gone, like the gray, sudsy water down the drain.

An acquaintance once told me regarding the condition of college dwellings, "After you move them into their dorm (or apartment) you can never go back. The sight of it is like looking into the sun -- it will blind you." I completely agree. The problem with college dorms and apartments is they are never clean to begin with, so you can hardly leave a truly clean dwelling behind, and the dirt accumulated in a year is astonishing.

And really, you can hardly not go back and get them, right?

I suppose I could have pulled up to the curb and said, "Load it up and hop in."

At present, my garage is full of boxes -- some that have belongings that will be stored until the wedding next year, and some that need to be unpacked, and all contents washed in hot water and harsh soap before they are put away.

The funny thing is, or not funny if you are me, I thought I had a whole week to catch up before I moved Geoffrey home (for three weeks until his grown up apartment is ready). But, after we arrived home and unloaded the boxes on Saturday, Geoffrey arrived in his car loaded full of his boxes. He is home, for good (temporarily), but will go back each day and bring more home. Most of it will stay in the garage for a month and get moved to his next apartment in August.

Do I have any advice? I told Doug we have a new rule --"If you leave home for college you can never come back." I know...that's mean. So, I'll revise it to "If you go away to college, your stuff can never come back." These kids today think they should have all the comforts of home while they are away at college. Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of "comforts of home"? So, I guess my advice would be -- don't set them up for comfort at college, set them up for school. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't let them take their electronic gaming consoles, or DVDs and viewing devices, and I would spend a lot less money on anything devised to comfort. I also won't be cleaning any more college apartments. Nope. You're on your own there.

So now the kitchen table is full at meal time again, and I am exhausted. I cooked a big meal yesterday (this dish with my own homemade sauce and meatballs -- six "yums") and an apple pie for dessert. I cooked most of the day (I've never been able to reconcile "no work on Sunday" with big Sunday dinner). My washer has been running almost constantly since Thursday evening and I have hardly a dent in the piles. First world problem, I know.

Lucky for you, I didn't take one photo, so you can wait to be blinded by your own experiences.



I did take this photo at home yesterday -- this is me for the rest of the week.







11 comments:

  1. I have a college bound kiddo....the stupid college sent me forms to buy him new sheets and bedding etc...for like 150 bucks...oh and matchy matchy towels. AND they sent me a form to that I can buy care packages for him through them! what a scam. nope nope and nope again. this kid is getting old and garage sale stuff and used by maybe 5 other college kids before him. great post Barbara...you are like an older sister to me and I appreciate your advice, wisdom and knowledge about teens and older adults....your meal sounds wonderful. I just got back from a week vacation. Went to the shrine Our Lady of Good Hope in Champion, WI...it was beautiful. but the work and laundry and all the beans from the garden that need to be frozen. My head is spinning.

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    1. They'll send you all kinds of notices for money-making schemes -- all meant to tug on your heartstrings. The most important thing you can do is talk to him often. If he is like my boys, he won't care about the things that other people are doing. They are pretty focused on themselves. I remember when I sent Geoffrey off to the dorm, I had a big plastic container full of all the things I thought he needed -- first aid kit, thermometers, flashlight etc., etc. When he moved out, it was all in the container -- untouched. I'm not saying don't prepare them, but if they have access to a drug store on campus, they can get what they need in a jiffy. And guys aren't girls -- obviously. What you and I think he needs is not what he thinks he needs. And he won't use it just because you think he needs it. I learned that lesson in a big way.

      PS I love YOU more than I love grammar!

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  2. ,,,they sent me a form TOO...sorry I am trying to get breakfast on.

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  3. i know you like grammar but mine is really bad...actually!

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  4. OH...and I just got the rosary you made...that I won on Jamie's bloggy..BEE-A-Utiful. I have a blanky and rosary you made. I am blessed. more great info! my oldest son's heart is broken right now...his girlfriend broke up with him right when we got back from out trip...thankful she didnt do that before the trip..hard enough traveling with teens. got a box for broken hearts?

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    1. Bake his favorite cookies and tell him to stay away from girls. They are evil. But really, unless he is prepared to get married sometime soon, he should stay away from girls period. He needs to be his own man at school. I used to text Geoff every night to say goodnight and send these initials -- BYHOR -- build your house on rock. He needs a good strong foundation of rock before he needs to think about girls.

      I know -- easier said than done.

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  5. He has always continued a good relationship with his friends and is spending a great deal of time with them....off today to Valley Fair. I really like your BYHOR. I yap about it all the time to the kids...dating is for marriage....she was the one that asked him out. My oldest is a sweet shy boy. she is the one that just said...ok...bye. I knew he was smitten by her...he really was blindsided by this. (just praying she doesnt come groveling around him and want him back) so hard not to stick my nose in this and my two cents!

    I lol to the girls are evil!! thanks for that.

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  6. Cleaning is the pits, especially when you are moving out of somewhere because you don't even get to enjoy the benefits! lol Hope the laundry is under control and I have to be in awe of baking this time of year. We are living off sandwiches. I do not want to turn that oven on for anything!

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  7. One of the reasons our friendship is such a blessing to me (and there are countless) is that you are just a step ahead of me on this parenting journey and are preparing me for the challenges ahead.

    As in, "Watch out for all the falling rocks!"

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    1. I am SO not ready to lose my son to college and yet...some days...I really am. ; )

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  8. Well, as always, I am happy my guys commute(d). ;-) Hope you are enjoying a relaxing week after all that.
    ps Josiah says your cat doesn't look like it's praying, ha! :-)

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!