Hello and welcome to another Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac by way of Worcester, Massachusetts via Washington State. Today is August 21st.
Whoowee, it's been a whirlwind of a few weeks as I've traveled to the West Coast with the Second Oldest, and then to the East Coast with the Oldest.
I recently remarked to a friend that it feels like children are little forever (as in, it takes a long time for them to grow up), but then suddenly *poof* they are grown up. Which pretty much sums up how I have been feeling while traveling with my two oldest children on their respective journeys both physically and figuratively.
The Second Oldest is now what colleges call a "rising senior" and with the new title comes the college search. I love the college search. I tell the kids that it's my job to ask the questions to help them do the due diligence of selecting a college environment where they will thrive and be intellectually curious and stimulated. With the Oldest's copy of the now-trusted Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College, Kid #2 identified some criteria such as: a broad offering of good academic programs (he's undecided), a study abroad option in Japan (he's very much decided), a temperate climate so he can use his e-skateboard year round, and some mountains for skiing. A lake nearby might be nice but not a dealbreaker. This narrowed the search to schools in Washington State and Portland, Oregon. When originally searching for flights to Portland, I found the perfect 24-hour layover in Colorado, which also fits the bill, but, unfortunately, a week later that option was no longer available and plane tickets were significantly more expensive.
So, we decided to drive.
Yes, across North Dakota, Montana, with an Idaho interlude, and not one but two mountain ranges. And yes, you are absolutely right: What was she thinking?
Other than the obvious answer - I wasn't - I like to think that this choice to drive 1,600 miles across the country in a sketchy, yet hanging-in-there Subaru with two 17-year-old boys (my son brought a friend) says something about my own character and the core value that drives most of my work and worldly engagement: empowerment.
To me, there are few things more exciting than potential. I believe in the inherent goodness in people and few things are more rewarding than when a person realizes their own brilliance and desires to step into their own power.
At the onset of the trip, the Second Oldest was practically apologetic, saying he was pretty sure he wouldn't actually be applying to any of the colleges we would tour on this trip. "That's okay," I told him, "this trip is about gathering information; seeing what you like and what you don't like. If you decide not to apply, that's totally okay because you will have made an informed decision."
To the boys' credit, they took each tour seriously. Attentive and taking photographs, they noted what resonated and what didn't, then did a post-tour debriefing on the merits of the school and how well it aligned or didn't with what they imagined to be ideal in a college experience.
To my credit, I did incredibly daring things like let them drive through the Rockies and the Cascades and in Portland and Seattle, and let them go by themselves (with the aforementioned Subaru) to Olympia for dinner and a movie on their own. (On the other hand it was a hard "no" on the $15 showers.)
Four days into the college road trip west, I called the Oldest and suggested we forego the plan to drive the 1,600 miles in the other direction to the East Coast and fly instead. With 25% of cellphone battery power at a camping AirBnB south of Olympia, the Oldest and I booked our plane tickets. I went to sleep with a delightful dose of relief.
After the last college visit at Western Washington University in Bellingham, we hoofed it back home, driving through the night to get home in time to celebrate the Youngest's sixth birthday and to watch the WAKWIR* in the Yellow Rose 5k/10k. The highlight of the Youngest's birthday celebration was having a bunch of teenagers in attendance "like a real birthday party" (his words). The WAKWIR enjoyed the race shirt and a nap after his event.
Then it was time to hit the road again, but thankfully only to MSP International Airport where we happily boarded a full, yet direct, flight to Boston. "The easiest flight we've ever taken," the Oldest observed. So what if it took two hours from the time we deplaned to the moment we hit I-90 in the rental car to Worcester? I'll gladly take that over twenty hours of driving.
The Oldest's Christmas-like giddiness has made this entire trip absolutely delightful. This year, she has her first apartment. The roommates are bright-eyed and so, so nice. Everyone is excited about the new place and have been been bargain shopping and inheriting furniture from sweet grannies in an effort to make their first place together a home.
I listened as they discussed where to put the microwave, then watched as they hoisted it on top of the refrigerator, only to have the late-arrival roommate suggest they put it lower. I helped move it to a rickety stand that works for now. From my motherly vantage point, it's just adorable watching them figure out shopping and cooking and who will pay for what - almost like those early days when eager parents witness their babe's first steps - which these are, only now it's steps into the bigger world.
Watching my daughter step into both her brilliance and her power (even while stressing about where to put all the free furniture we were gifted via the parent Facebook group) is so touching. I could get misty eyed if I let myself think about it too much, but there's no time to get weepy. I leave on Tuesday and we have to go to IKEA and find a desk and chair and have more unpacking to do. We're both decorationally challenged so figuring out how to make her room "cool" and/or "pretty" is going to take us awhile. And then there's a hurricane on the way. It's my first. The local girls tell me it's just a storm with really strong winds and heavy rains. My only frame of reference is weatherforecasters getting blown away across the evening news. Or as the Oldest explained to her little sister, "A tornado with rain."
I think the best advice on all fronts, whether it's for a mom adjusting to the new form of busy that comes with teens turning into young adults or hurricanes, comes from a parent from that trusty Facebook parent group: "It is a small hurricane. Don’t panic. Think of it as a bad thunderstorm. No biggie."
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| Hangin' with St. Ignatius at Gonzaga University [Pronounced: Gone-Zag (as in Bag)-Uh] |
*Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence
On This Day
Historic Highlights (credits)Happy Birthday to You!🎶
Remembering You
Be adventurous, empower your people, and make it a great Saturday!
Kim
Talk about a whirlwind! It will take you days to bring friends back here up to date. It's great that you capture the adventure of it all. Also, kudos to you for posting amidst all this.
ReplyDeleteA fine travelogue through the Motherland
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