Moving Back to Alabama

The summer flew by so quickly and before we knew it, we were planning Connor's move back to Alabama. For his sophomore year, he was going to be living in a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment off campus but still very close to the university. He and 5 of his closest friends rented 2 units in the same breezeway of the complex, so he was excited to start his new school year in a more spacious apartment with great amenities in the complex. Before his trip back to school, we made sure to enjoy one more meal at Lupe Tortilla's, Connor's favorite spot in Katy.

Throughout the summer, we had been planning the apartment move with his two roommates, Nathan and Austin, and their moms. We used a shared Note file on our iPhones to collectively sync up on the apartment items they would need for the coming year, which worked out great to make sure everything was covered but not duplicated. The apartment we rented was minimally furnished, and we decided to look for a bigger dining table that would better accommodate the boys. Scrolling Facebook, I managed to find a solid wood, heavy duty table set with 4 dining chairs that was absolutely perfect both in size and durability. The only question - would it fit in our vehicles?? The table was much bigger than I realized, so Jeff had to dismantle it for us. Since I was the one accompanying Connor on the apartment move-in, I made sure to take VERY detailed notes on how to reassemble the table. 

When moving day arrived, Jeff helped Connor and I load our cars with the table and chairs, along with everything else he was packing for his sophomore year away at UA. As always, Jeff did a professional-level job packing up the car (a.k.a. Tetris) and we had plenty of room to spare. When our travel day arrived, Connor and I said goodbye to home and set off for Alabama.

After the long drive to Tuscaloosa, we arrived and stayed in a hotel for the night. I messaged with the apartment complex manager, Ross, to finalize our arrival the next day to pick up Connor's keys. When we arrived, it was a whirlwind of paperwork, work orders, and unloading both of our cars. It didn't take too long, but we left the heavy table in the car for the time being in hopes of getting another one of Connor's buddies to help unload it. Feeling accomplished, we headed out for some lunch before the real work would begin.

After lunch, Connor and I got busy working on setting up his room. We began unpacking all the bags and boxes, doing loads of laundry, and figuring out where everything should go in his new space. Because we were waiting on the large dining table, we didn't have too much to do in the shared spaces except for a large rug we'd picked up for the living room. Later in the day, Connor's buddy Nolan arrived to help unload the large table. Lucky for us, he's an engineering student as well, and the two boys successfully assembled the dining table in no time. Hooray!

Connor and I worked on his bedroom suite for most of the day. I had scheduled some deliveries from Walmart for some of the big items like the rug and his queen mattress, and we were hoping they would arrive in time for us to complete his room. We used most of the items from Connor's dorm room the prior year and we sprinkled in a few more things here and there. He had SO much more space in this bedroom, which was going to be so nice for him to spread out. 

We were SO happy when the mattress arrived and we could complete the setup of Connor's bedroom. As we hung pictures and curtains, it was beginning to come together.

It took less than a full day, and we were very happy with the outcome. Connor's room was done, and it looked great! He had more than enough space to store his belongings and even set up an extra reading nook with shelves. And not to forget the all-important space under the bed for his "floor naps" throughout the year. HA!

We were pleased with ourselves for finishing up Connor's room before his other 2 roommates had even arrived. It was helpful to stay out of the way, but I enjoyed meeting the boys and their parents while they moved in the following day. It made me feel like a terrible parent when both families spent over a full day cleaning their spaces before they moved anything inside the apartment. Connor and I had wiped some stuff down but didn't think we needed to clean any more than that? Oops. 

While Nathan and Austin's families were busy cleaning and moving in the apartment, Connor and I tried to make ourselves scarce to stay out of their way. Connor took me on campus to walk his new fall schedule and see where his classes would be. We also enjoyed our quality time together which was quickly coming to an end. It was hard to believe we were starting his 2nd year away from home. As always, it was tough to say goodbye, but I was so thankful to get him settled into his new apartment. His place looked great and would be an amazing home for him in the coming year.

First College Visit: Texas Tech

As hard as it was to believe, it was the summer before Kaitlynn's junior year, which meant it was time to start thinking about (gasp) COLLEGE for our baby girl! We wanted to get the process started so that Kaitlynn would have sufficient time to think about her college goals, and summer was the perfect time to make a campus visit. The first one on our list was Texas Tech, the same school we first visited on Connor's college list as well. Out of all the schools we've researched for visits, Texas Tech was BY FAR the easiest to arrange because they have a simple all-in-one tour which is offered everyday even in the summer. Most other schools require you to sign up for multiple different sessions and they are almost always on different days and not easy to group into a single visit. 

For Kaitlynn's Texas Tech visit, we signed up for the daily tour, and I was also able to schedule a visit with the Honors College. Following in her brother's footsteps, Kaitlynn was thinking of majoring in computer science. After the 7-hour drive, we arrived on campus and were both excited for the visit ahead!

We arrived early the next morning to kick off our full day. At check-in, it was a fun and personalized touch to see Kaitlynn's name on the screen along with the other visiting students. We were excited for the morning ahead, where we had a walking tour of the campus, learned all about admissions, and even got to learn about the engineering curriculum for computer science. Admittedly, Kaitlynn felt a little uncertain about her major choice, especially after seeing the courses listed out for the 4 years of engineering curriculum.

Probably our favorite part of the day was visiting with the Honors College that afternoon. Two of their representatives met with us for a personalized visit, and they answered all of our questions about the Honors curriculum. It made Kaitlynn feel special to be recognized for her hard work, and the opportunities for Honors and Study Abroad were especially interesting for her.

After our campus visit, we drove around Lubbock to find some treats, and to this day we still talk about the delicious dirty sodas and bakery treats we discovered during our trip. There were two other things that were the most consequential that came from our Texas Tech visit, however. First, I got a speeding ticket on the way there, and Kaitlynn was able to experience what it was like to be pulled over with the flashing lights behind you. HA! 

But probably the most impactful outcome of our visit was the discussion we had on the way home. By visiting Texas Tech and seeing the college curriculum laid out before her, Kaitlynn was able to really start thinking about her future career and the areas she wanted to study. On the drive home, she admitted that the computer science curriculum was just not for her. She was feeling anxious about the selection of a major, and I reassured her that it was a positive step to know what she did NOT want to study and she still had plenty of time to figure that out in the years ahead. 

During our conversation, out of the blue Kaitlynn said, "I always thought I could see myself as a nurse, but I just do NOT want to go to medical school." 

I chuckled and said, "Nurses don't go to medical school. They go to nursing school, but it's the same time commitment as your 4-year degree." To which she replied, "Oh!" 

And there it was, the turning point for our baby girl's future. She was going to be a NURSE! 

Summer Vibes with Connor

It was so nice to have Connor home for the summer after his freshman year at University of Alabama. He looked far and wide for summer work, but with our busy travel schedule, he wasn't able to line up a job for his remaining time and ended up spending several weeks at home bored out of his mind. He was able to join Jeff for a few golf outings, and that was always fun for both of them despite the summer heat. I joined them on one of their trips to Jeff's club at Longwood and made sure to take some pics.

Before Connor returned to Alabama for the fall semester, he wanted some coaching on kitchen tips and recipes for off-campus life in his new apartment with friends. I taught him a few of his favorite dishes, including awesome rolls, pigs in a blanket, bacon and eggs, and the family staple of crockpot angel chicken. Only time would tell how well he would manage these recipes on his own!

One thing Connor had put off all summer was a LONG overdue haircut. His hair was so overgrown and shaggy, and it drove the rest of us crazy. Come to find out, he was delaying a haircut because he had promised to fulfill a bet he lost in his fantasy football league earlier in the year. As much as he dreaded it, he had to follow through with the consequence of losing: shaving his head! None of us could believe he'd actually go through with it, so we all tagged along as he went up to Great Clips for the big event. His hair had gotten SO long, so it made the haircut that much more impactful. 

We all watched as Connor's locks were shaved completely off, front to back and side to side. It was a shocking transformation! When he returned to school in the coming days, it would be with a completely different look that would take us (and his roommates) a LONG time to get used to, ha!

Summertime Reunion with Anais

In early July, it was FINALLY time for a long overdue reunion for Kaitlynn and Anais. Now that they were both driving themselves, it would be so much easier to arrange outings together in the future. For this visit, they planned to hang out at our home in Katy, visit their usual haunts like Altitude, enjoy a shopping day at the Galleria, and an extra special activity we had been planning for a while. 

For a fun but belated 16th birthday treat, we scheduled makeup lessons for both girls at the local Jentry Kelley location not far from us in Katy. I discovered this beauty line years ago and love their approach to sharing makeup tips for a beautiful and fresh look. The girls were able to get a full lesson from our artist, Carly, using JK products and walk out with their gorgeous new faces and some new products to use on their own. We made sure to take some fun photos on our way out. 

We enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite places, Cheesecake Factory, while the girls basked in their new makeup glow. They both looked so beautiful! What a fun way to spend the afternoon and the long overdue visit together!