Out of Synch

Well, I guess I am out of synch in more ways than one. First off, I have been delinquent in my posting latey. Last post was during my Bro reunion in late July. So much has happened, and I promise to post on several events of note. However, the "Biggie" started late last week, and I gotta get that one logged!

We are all packed!

Which brings me to being out of synch in another way. I am sitting here in the City of Roses (Portland OR of course) getting ready to take Maggie to University of Portland "Move in Day" tomorrow. Last Saturday we moved Lucy into Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, where she started classes today. Not only is that reverse order, but I am also just feeling out of synch. It is tough saying goodbye to my last two daughters!

Breakfast with Friends!

On Thursday last, we all finished packing and went to dinner at Cuccia's, the restaurant where Maggie works. It was the first time the four of us have eaten out together. Usually, three eat and one works! That is fun, but it was so nice just enjoying each other, telling stories and laughing.

Friday was moving day. The girls finished their packing, and cleaned up their rooms, while Kim and I prepared the Truck, and took care of last minute errands. Finally, the truck was packed with plastic tubs (color coded purple for Maggie, and Blue for Lucy) and miscellaneous boxes and bags, and we were off.

Lucy shows off her new "BSFF" shirt with Sis.

We drove to Petaluma, (15 minutes from Lucy's dorm room) to stay with our good friends Steve and Sherrie Padfield. It is a decent drive, only about 3 and a half hours. John and Jeanne also met us there, and we all walked to dinner at a local Irish pub called Macguire's. Good food. The music was a little loud to promote easy conversation, but we held our own. Steve and Sherrie are such great friends, and I could not help but reflect that we met them during college days, which were just starting for our girls! I know it is hard for the girls to think about meeting lifetime friends, when they are mostly focused on the fact that they are leaving all their childhood friends for a sea of strangers, but it is gonna happen!

Tuning up Lucy's new (old) bike

We had a great breakfast the next morning, and Lucy met her first fellow SSU freshman. Her name is Paige, and she is the daughter of some friends of the Padfields from San Diego. Her parents are John and Jeanna! As you can guess things got a little confusing.

Steve, Sherrie, and Jeanne at Breakfast

Maggie decorated a "BSFF" T-Shirt for Lu to wear during her nights in the dorm. It was very cute, and we all signed it. Finally, we headed into town for the "Main Event".

Seawolf move in day went smoothly. We had a little trouble finding the correct dorm complex, but got there and unloaded with relatively little hassle  What a beautiful room set up Lucy has. Moe was very jealous! It is more like a two bedroom apartment than a dorm, complete with kitchen, living room, and patio!

Uncle Fluffy and the college sisters!

After a quick trip to get Lucy's ID card validated, and pick up her parking permit, we headed back to Padfield's for barbecued burgers and brats . Before grinding down a burger, I did a little work to prepare the nice bicycle that Sherrie gave her. It is an older bike, but a nice ride, and the price was right!!

Lucy heads back to SSU

Lucy had to head back to campus at 6:30 to attend her first orientation meeting. It is really nice knowing Steve and Sherrie are just 15 minutes away. She spent her first night in her dorm with her suite mates.

Next morning we all got together for breakfast at a local cafe in Petaluma. Good food, and great company, but finally we had to face the fact that it was time to say goodbye. Kim got a little tearful (me too) and then we watched Lucy head back to Rohnert Park in her little red Mustang.

Maggie, Kim, and I headed back to Steve and Sherrie's, packed up our stuff, and headed north through the wine country. It was a long way to Portland!

More in my next post!

That's Al!!