A couple of weeks ago Parker and I went to Rexburg to get him all settled in at school. Kam had flown to Phoenix a few days before to drive up to Rexburg with her roommate Ashley. It was a bittersweet kind of trip; I was so excited for the kids to be there, but sad to leave them there.
Pictures from the trip:
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| At the Atlanta airport |
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| His stuff |
After we landed in Salt Lake City and got our rental car, we went to a Walmart in Layton. Since we had to fly (versus driving to Rexburg when we lived in Phoenix), we needed to pick up all the stuff he'd need that we didn't have room to take on the plane: kitchen stuff, some toiletry stuff, etc. And there was no way I was going to fight the throngs of students at the Walmarts in Rexburg and Idaho Falls. No way. We stayed at my sister Janine's house that night and then got Parker moved in the next morning.
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| In his new apartment |
After we got Parker moved in, we went to campus to get his icard, buy his books, and rent his laptop. BYUI has a rental program for kids who are getting ready to leave on their missions, which is awesome, because if he got a laptop now, by the time he returned back to school after his mission his laptop would be a dinosaur.
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| The newly redone Taylor Quad. Beautiful! |
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| Another view |
Thankfully, we beat the crowds on campus and got everything done really quickly. I showed him where all his classes are and then we went to help Kam move in. She and Ashley share a storage unit during the summer, and I had forgotten how much stuff she has. Angela came to help which was a really good thing! I didn't get pictures of all her stuff. I totally should have.
Kam's living in a beautiful new complex. I could totally live here!
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| The Willows |
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| The Lounge |
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| More of the lounge |
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| And more |
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| The small lounge by the elevator on Kam's floor |
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| Kam's living room |
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| Kam and her living room |
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| Kam's kitchen |
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| Kam's room. Her roommate Laura hadn't arrived yet |
After we got Kam's stuff into her apartment, Parker went back to his apartment to get moved in and I stayed and helped Kam put her stuff away. It was really fun to get to spend some time with her before I left her to go back to Georgia. Then Parker and I had his new student orientation in the BYUI Center. It is an amazing building, and the whole bottom level was pretty much full of students and parents.
The next morning we went to campus and bought Kam's books and one I needed, then we picked Parker up and went to Idaho Falls to get some groceries for both of them. We stopped at my parents' house first, and my mom decided to go shopping with us, which was really fun! We ended up with quite a lot of groceries because I had to make sure they had the basics, and then some. They were very appreciative! And I knew they wouldn't starve for the first little while. :o)
Then we drove back to Rexburg, put their food away, picked up Zach and Angela, and drove back to Idaho Falls to go to dinner (it's a good thing Idaho Falls is only about 25 minute from Rexburg!). We ate at Famous Dave's BBQ and it was really good.
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| Kam found her BBQ sauce |
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| Four of my five kids. So proud of them! |
The next day I went to my sister's Stake Relief Society meeting where she taught a class on the positive influences that technology can have on families. It was an awesome class! My mom and dad came from Idaho Falls earlier that morning, so my mom went with us. Then I went and picked up Kam and she spent the rest of the day with us.
Sunday I went to church with Janine and her family and my mom and dad. Then all the kids came to Janine's house for dinner. It was awesome being all together as a family, except we were missing John and Kailen. And I'm so thankful to Janine and her familly for always being such great hosts!
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| Me, mom, dad, and Janine |
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| Riley, Byron, Hannah, and Janine |
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| Angela, Zach, Kam, Parker and one grateful mom |
After awhile I took Kam and Parker back to their apartments.
It was a teary time.
As it should be.
After I dropped them off, I drove up by the temple.
It was beautiful.
I flew home the next morning right smack dab back into reality. It was the first day of Crazy Semester #1.
It was good to be home, but the house felt really different. I miss having Parker and Kam at home, but I know that they're were they need to be. They have really great roommates, an amazing place to go to school, and family close enough to help them if they need it.
What more could I ask for?
Hi, I came across your blog as I was searching for pictures of the Willows apartments. My daughter is starting at BYUI in the fall and is deciding on housing. She is looking at the Willows and also at Nauvoo House or The Ivy. My daughter is pretty social but also serious about her studies and wants to live where the other kids respect the church values etc. Anyhow, I was just wondering if you could tell me how your daughter liked the Willows and it's location. as opposed to the location of the Nauvoo house. My daughter will be doing general ed and also music(plays the violin) We have never been to Rexburg so we aren't familiar with the area. If you wouldn't mind emailing me back at candlecorner@comcast.net with any suggestions or advice, that would be great! Thanks- Janelle
ReplyDeletePS I really like your blog :)