Well, this past weekend, we moved Brittany 5 1/2 hours away to college in Mobile, Alabama. It's a day I've been anticipating and to some extent, dreading, for a very long time. The past month or so, we've spent making lists and buying a variety of items for her dorm room. Seems like one trip to the store would only lead to another and another. We put all of our purchases in the guest room closet, but after awhile, they spilled out into the corner of the room. As moving day got closer, Brittany and I would look at everything we'd bought and shake our heads saying, "Daddy is going to kill us!" Poor Chris...he had absolutely no idea!
The day before her move, Brittany and I went into her bedroom and started packing up everything in her room. I could feel that lump in my throat growing larger with every shirt we folded and every picture frame we tucked neatly away in a box. I was trying so hard to put on a poker face so that I didn't fall to pieces. I don't know what happened, but out-of-nowhere, something sparked a memory or stirred up an emotion I'd been trying hard to ignore...and I completely lost it. I had reached a point where I could no longer hold my emotions back. I took one look at Brittany and she started crying, too. Oh, we were such a mess! We embraced each other and held on tight for what seemed like an eternity...neither of us wanting to let go. It was only the beginning of what was to come.
Here's some of Brittany's belongings all ready to go. We packed her car with all sorts of stuff, too!
I'm so thankful I was able to keep my emotions in check for a decent picture with my college-bound girl!
Here's the Bell Tower, which is one of the major landmarks on campus.
Brittany decided to put a lot of her favorite pictures all over her closet door.
TA-DA...here's the finished product! I think it turned out pretty cute, considering the limited space we had to work with. It was a long, exhausting process, but so worth it! Brittany loves her new living quarters...and that's all that really matters!
On our last night with her, we took her out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants, Olive Garden. She kept looking over at me asking, "Mom, are you going to be alright?" Of course, I'd nod my head and assure her that everything was going to be just fine. Well, we took her back to her dorm before a cross country meeting that she had to attend and she wanted to know if we'd like to meet up after her meeting, so we made plans. She called us on her cell phone and we went back up to her room to say our goodbyes. She reached out and grabbed Chris by the neck and hung on for dear life. I took one look into her eyes and the tears poured! She, then, took hold of me and gave me a big hug and we cried together. I didn't want to let go. She wrapped her arms around Abby and kissed her on her forehead. She walked us out to our car and gave each of us another hug. I told her I loved her so much...and she said the same to me. Then, I said, "Goodbye, hon"...and she turned and walked away. Getting in our car and leaving her behind was, without a doubt, one of the HARDEST things I've ever had to do. I wanted so badly to turn right around and take her back home with us, but I know it wasn't meant to be.When we got home late yesterday afternoon, I walked upstairs and peeked into Brittany's bedroom as I passed by. It about took my breath away. I'm so used to seeing all of her belongings tossed on her bed or on top of her dresser. Now, everything seems too neat and in it's place. The smell of her perfume is even still lingering in the air. I just feel that any minute, she's going to come bouncing through the garage door asking, "So, Mom...how was your day?". This is all going to take a lot of getting used to, that's for sure. People tell me that it gets easier as time goes by, so I'm holding onto that with all my might. But, for now, I'm going to allow myself to cry if I need to so that the healing can begin. I sure do miss my girl, but this is her time to SOAR and to find out who she really is. I don't know...maybe, just maybe, this is my time to soar, too.
