tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post6285123121569704299..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: So Long, Farewell - Go, Already!Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-40319960232594113652011-08-21T22:05:18.363-04:002011-08-21T22:05:18.363-04:00Gannon, I think it's easier when you have othe...Gannon, I think it's easier when you have other kids at home to keep your brain occupied. Was your son more than ready for you to be gone? I think if our daughter could have managed to loft her bed by herself, we wouldn't have gotten to stay at all! :)Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-12320795564079353162011-08-21T22:03:41.759-04:002011-08-21T22:03:41.759-04:00Kate, I'll confess that she had a minor medica...Kate, I'll confess that she had a minor medical incident the other day - completely self-inflicted - that made me feel a bit more needed. Monday, while we were on vacation, she got stung by jellyfish on both legs, front/back/top/bottom. Now, jellyfish stings take a good ten days or so to resolve.<br /><br />But, because she was trying to be cute for school, she decided to SHAVE HER LEGS in the shower Friday night. Of course, heat re-inflames the stings and then she scraped them all with the razor. Needless to say, the hydrocortisone did not help and, by Saturday morning, her legs were in bad shape. She went to the Student Health Center (without any prompting!), where they wrote her a 'scrip for prednisone. <br /><br />So, when I went to visit on Saturday, I also got to take her a massive box of Benadryl AND take her 'scrip to get it filled at a local pharmacy. Of course, as soon as she had the drugs (and the cookies I bought her), I got The Hand again. <br /><br />When I called her today to see how the swelling was, I got, "Okay, well, we're going on a scavenger hunt for our classrooms now. I'll talk to you later!"<br /><br />So much for being needed. :)Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74286547286408388072011-08-21T21:57:55.014-04:002011-08-21T21:57:55.014-04:00Deb, I can't imagine sending a child off to Ba...Deb, I can't imagine sending a child off to Basic or boot camp! My husband was in the Marines and the Air Force, so his poor mother got to do that twice. He says Parris Island was far worse than the Air Force basic training. I believe him!<br /><br />You've also confirmed my fears about the growing piles of "essentials". I'm afraid that by the time we have to move my daughter home at Christmas, we'll need a U-Haul! <br /><br />Actually, I saw some parents pulling small trailers behind the car. I was glad we had the minivan! It just better last the next 5 years. :)Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-29100670227017638722011-08-21T21:54:32.434-04:002011-08-21T21:54:32.434-04:00AC, I fear the GR has NO MORALS at all about separ...AC, I fear the GR has NO MORALS at all about separating people from their money. I'll admit I floated him a "loan" so he could take an online class once. All I could verify he had done was to play online poker! He said he got an "A", though.Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-10023442766441617502011-08-21T21:05:12.968-04:002011-08-21T21:05:12.968-04:00Caren, we just dropped our son off this weekend, t...Caren, we just dropped our son off this weekend, too. He was ready for us to go---we got everything unloaded (they had volunteers to help haul everything inside) and put away, more or less.<br /><br />I didn't cry---waited until later. I'm sure that reality will set in soon.Gannon Carrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08636246789013520445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-16276319223615555662011-08-21T17:16:53.128-04:002011-08-21T17:16:53.128-04:00Awww, Posh!! I'm all teary-eyed on your behalf...Awww, Posh!! I'm all teary-eyed on your behalf -- but also laughing at your wishing your girl had shed at least one tear, maybe two. But no. LOL<br /><br />So many sweet stories here today! I don't have any of my own so I'm just going to thank everyone for sharing theirs. :-)Kate Carlislehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16863555050062113192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-83074069832367356742011-08-21T15:10:56.723-04:002011-08-21T15:10:56.723-04:00Hi, Caren. We haven't had a child go to colle...Hi, Caren. We haven't had a child go to college and move tons of stuff, but our son did join the Marines 3 years ago and it was a positive experience for all. Not sure about February of 2012. There's a high probability John will be deployed to Afghanistan, so that is a TOTALLY different feeling than sending one's child to college.<br /><br />I do remember when we dropped my older sister off at college. She stood there crying and waving and my folks cried for quite awhile on the way home. When I went to college, I didn't have a lot of stuff my freshman year, but for my other 3 years seemed to have enough stuff to load the back of my dad's pickup. :)Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831144769121001738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-47124942211493710282011-08-21T15:02:20.673-04:002011-08-21T15:02:20.673-04:00Louisa said: "Have you SEEN his rooms in the ...Louisa said: <i>"Have you SEEN his rooms in the Lair? Yes, I said ROOMS!" </i><br /><br />Oh yes, I noticed the GR has a certain talent for taking over rooms he deems are "unoccupied." He had installed an enormous wall safe in one of the studies and I'm sure it is stuffed with every variety of TimTam known on this earth. :-P<br /><br />And Posh, you are right to warn everyone about him scamming for college tuition. I heard him cackling something about student loans just last week! BEWARE Banditas and BBs! Just sayin...<br /><br />ACLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-23075534705616842012011-08-21T13:54:41.603-04:002011-08-21T13:54:41.603-04:00Janga, how sweet that your mom and sister both cri...Janga, how sweet that your mom and sister both cried. You were obviously a great source of strength (and probably entertainment) for both of them. <br /><br />I love that you and your roomie became friends despite your outward differences. My daughter and her roomie seemed to take to each other right away, which was nice. It will be interesting to see what happens when their differences surface. I have a feeling my daughter's lack of tidiness may cause an issue if she isn't careful!<br /><br />I hadn't heard that about extraverts vs. introverts with homesickness, but it makes perfect sense. My son was never homesick (that I heard about anyway). Not sure how it will go for this daughter. She kind of straddles that E/I line, like I do. I did miss my family eventually, but it took a while! :)Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-46812008058395781182011-08-21T13:49:17.352-04:002011-08-21T13:49:17.352-04:00Virginia, that sounds much like our experience. El...Virginia, that sounds much like our experience. Elevators up to the ninth floor, stairs back down. Of course, there was no A/C in the elevators, but anything beats schlepping the stuff up all those stairs! <br /><br />So, which school were you moving your son into? I think it was probably hotter than Hades all over the U.S. this past weekend!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22073299324693804812011-08-21T13:47:13.558-04:002011-08-21T13:47:13.558-04:00Jo, I can totally see you waving your parents off ...Jo, I can totally see you waving your parents off without a care! I can also see you jumping in and making friends with no problems at all. You are the picture of a land-on-your-feet, practical sort of woman.<br /><br />So, any tears when shoving any of your kids off to college? Or was it more of a "four down, three to go" sort of affair? I imagine it was different for each of them!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-37050548470661072572011-08-21T13:44:35.202-04:002011-08-21T13:44:35.202-04:00Louisa, what a great story! Your dad seems to have...Louisa, what a great story! Your dad seems to have really known what he was doing. I love it that he had no intention of helping you make your bed and all that. <br /><br />My daughter wanted the help, but the DH sat in the desk chair looking like he would rather be anywhere else while my younger daughter and I helped her get settled. <br /><br />I love it that you have that great picture of your dad waving goodbye out the window. Also that he called you Stinky. What a great, funny guy he was! I'm sure as a Daddy's Girl, that is a memory you treasure. Hugs to you!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74736273490628014172011-08-21T13:40:35.915-04:002011-08-21T13:40:35.915-04:00Donna, I think saying goodbye to daughters is espe...Donna, I think saying goodbye to daughters is especially hard for moms (though it seemed to hit the DH pretty hard Friday night). This daughter has been great company for me, so there is a big, quiet hole where she has been. It kind of helped that she worked at camp all summer, because I've gotten used to the house being quieter. <br /><br />It's also a comfort to us that she does NOT have a car on campus this year. That way we have a bit more assurance she is actually at the school, though there are no guarantees! We have asked her to let us know if she plans to travel with friends. We'll see if that pans out. :) <br /><br />Yes, I was happy as a lark to be left at school. It shouldn't surprise me a bit that my kids are the same way. I am not sure it was a surprise, but it was a tiny little hit to the parental ego. Still, I'm SO GLAD there were no tears!!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74293813688143219402011-08-21T13:35:23.865-04:002011-08-21T13:35:23.865-04:00Girlygirl, that is a great idea! At UNC-CH, they d...Girlygirl, that is a great idea! At UNC-CH, they did something similar for a couple of years and donated monies to designated charities. I think either it got too big to manage or there was (probably) debate about where to donate the money. <br /><br />So in May of this year, they simply had people take their used furniture, clothes, shoes, etc. to these PODS units parked around campus. The items were donated directly to different charities. I'm not sure which is better, but it did prevent like 8 tons of furniture and 4 tons of clothing and shoes from going into the landfill. <br /><br />The environmental impact of big schools is amazing (in a bad way). It's great to see colleges taking ownership for community sustainability! I hope the community around you really embraces it.Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-77012618470882742632011-08-21T13:23:49.328-04:002011-08-21T13:23:49.328-04:00PJ, what a brilliant idea!! I think I'll try t...PJ, what a brilliant idea!! I think I'll try that with the daughter. She will love both to get the cookies (and taste of home) and to share with her friends. <br /><br />I've often commented on your brilliance, but it's so true! You are a wise, wise woman, PJ. I need to come and study with you!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-45363812804827450062011-08-21T13:21:40.048-04:002011-08-21T13:21:40.048-04:00Nancy, I have no doubt that lovely daughter will f...Nancy, I have <b>no doubt</b> that lovely daughter will find all the distractions she cares to find in Chapel Hill! <br /><br />I'm also sure that Charlotte is much more exciting now than it was in my day. Now that downtown is "uptown" and there are all those great eateries and things along the old South Blvd and in the NoDa district, there's all manner of things going on! <br /><br />My hope is that my children are much <i>wiser</i> than I was when I went to college (the first time). We have certainly talked to them plenty about the temptations, potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. Our son is now paying his own way (slowly) toward finishing his degree (someday). Hopefully the girls will get finished the first time around!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-64694805072882451492011-08-21T13:16:40.543-04:002011-08-21T13:16:40.543-04:00Nancy, I was thinking of you when I wrote this pos...Nancy, I was thinking of you when I wrote this post and wondering if The Boy had left yet. It seems most private universities start a bit later, so bit of a reprieve for you and the DH! <br /><br />I can only imagine one of the kids being so far away. As Sheree said, it's kind of a drop-em-at-the-airport proposition. It's good that you guys will be able to cart some stuff down for him, though. They do need some personal things around, IMO.<br /><br />My daughter's roommate had one of those three-drawer plastic chest things with wheels in her closet space, a few clothes and three bins she hadn't unpacked. She had moved her stuff in on Wednesday, but then popped off to an off-campus bonding-type event for a few days. So, she was just unpacking yesterday, while our little lovely had her stuff placed, posted and plastered everywhere!<br /><br />One of the things she had me bring on Saturday was double-sided tape so she could hang posters. Not that she has any posters, but she's obviously planning to acquire some! That place will be decorated within an inch of its life within a month. <br /><br />I'll bet your son will not have that issue. I know my son's dorm room was all awash in gaming systems and computer networking gear, but not big on posters!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-11452532307187501522011-08-21T13:13:30.651-04:002011-08-21T13:13:30.651-04:00My mother and sister cried all the way home after ...My mother and sister cried all the way home after they left me. I was too excited for tears. But I had a wild child roommate who shocked me, and I called Mother and Daddy begging them to come get me about two weeks into the quarter. They wisely persuaded me to wait until our first open weekend (Freshmen were not allowed to leave campus for the first six weeks), and by that time my roomie and I were the best of friends.<br /><br />Coming from a different perspective, I spent twenty years teaching at least one section of freshman composition each fall, and essays and conferences made me aware that homesickness was a common ailment. I suspect some of those students writing and talking about how much they missed family and home were kids who played cool when their parents left them on campus. An interesting point--studies have shown extroverts are homesick more often than introverts because inner-focused introverts bring their world with them. It's the outward-focused extroverts who have the bigger adjustment.Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-386311205223214242011-08-21T12:47:45.891-04:002011-08-21T12:47:45.891-04:00Moved my son into college dorm yesterday and every...Moved my son into college dorm yesterday and everything went pretty smooth but man was it hot. We were catching the elevators about right and everything. We just used the steps coming back down to leave elevators open for the one going up. Over all things went pretty good.Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06924888528166831610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-12265261104472877582011-08-21T12:27:48.096-04:002011-08-21T12:27:48.096-04:00Great post, Caren. Moving kids into college dorms...Great post, Caren. Moving kids into college dorms is soooo traumatic. Good luck to your daughter. I hear Chapel Hill is a beautiful college setting.<br /><br />I moved across the country to go to college, but I don't remember it being so traumatic. I was a bit lonely at first, but after I made friends, a piece of cake!jo robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824237193217632098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-21320162047473747832011-08-21T11:43:07.192-04:002011-08-21T11:43:07.192-04:00Yes, Aunty, but who'd want to move all of his ...Yes, Aunty, but who'd want to move all of his stuff? Have you SEEN his rooms in the Lair? Yes, I said ROOMS! <br /><br />Kudos and commiserations on pushing another fledgling out of the nest, Caren! I have no doubt, with you as her mother, she will do just fine! <br /><br />My Mom had just gotten out of the hospital when I had to move into my dorm over 100 miles away. My Dad had moving duty and I think it turned out to be an emotional but appropriate choice. I was always a Daddy's Girl, big time! He helped lug all of my gear up to the THIRD floor, announced I could unpack and settle in once he was gone and took me to lunch in the town's ONE restaurant. He kept it light and funny, but he made sure I knew how proud he was of me. I was the first person on either side of my extended family to ever go to college. That was 34 years ago. We lost Dad 13 years ago. I still see him waving out the window of that station wagon saying "Bye, Stinky. Have fun!"Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-19158043862696580232011-08-21T10:31:24.915-04:002011-08-21T10:31:24.915-04:00Hugs Caren on the birds leaving the nest. I remem...Hugs Caren on the birds leaving the nest. I remember packing my daughter off to school years ago. She didn't cry and make a scene - but I quietly cried on the drive back home. <br /><br />As for my college experience, I was anxious to go and was more than ready for my parents to leave after delivering me with all my stuff to the campus. It was an exciting adventure! Then homesickness set in. It was good that there wasn't an easy means to get home or I probably would have used it. Alas - that too passed and I adjusted to the new environment just fine - as will your daughter, I'm sure.Donna MacMeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10310857800824141312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-16112782393324478772011-08-21T10:07:19.378-04:002011-08-21T10:07:19.378-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.trumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14379869475899318079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22715450548575188752011-08-21T09:59:00.869-04:002011-08-21T09:59:00.869-04:00I live in a college town & move-in day is grid...I live in a college town & move-in day is gridlock on campus. But this is the 2nd year of the leftover dorm stuff sale! What a great idea, at the end of spring, there's a collection of all the stuff that would go into the dumpster. It's sorted, priced and stored over the summer. Then there's the sale! Beds for $15; tvs for $10.. all kinds of stuff! Sustainability and the city of Bloomington’s sustainability initiative. All the unsold merchandise will be loaded into a semi trailer and taken to a local Goodwill store, so that nothing will be transported to the landfill.Also instead of hauling the big stuff home, rent a storage unit & share it with someone - like next year's roommate!girlygirlhoosier52https://www.blogger.com/profile/12253919063849062372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-7846214330469318332011-08-21T09:31:22.326-04:002011-08-21T09:31:22.326-04:00I'm also waiting for the phone call from my da...<i>I'm also waiting for the phone call from my daughter to let me know I need to bake cookies and bring them to campus for her and her friends. It's coming, I have no doubt!</i><br /><br />Caren, when my nephew started his first year of college I sent him 12 emails with the following messages: Chocolate Chip (4 emails), Peanut Butter (4 emails) and so on. (using his favorite kinds of cookies) I told him when he started feeling homesick, was stressed out over classes or just craved something homemade to hit "reply" to one of the emails and a package would be in the mail within a few days. It was a big hit - with him and the kids on his dorm floor! :)pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.com