Move-In Day

Yesterday, I moved in to my dorm. It was the first time in my life that I consciously remember moving. (Unless you count when my family moved into our house from our old trailer when I was two years old.) I was all packed, with everything in boxes and totes and sacks, and I was ready, thinking that everything was going to be absolutely perfect. Although nothing catastrophic happened, it definitely wasn't the "perfect" moving day...but then again, is it ever?

The day began when Emily dropped off Kyle with us, because, although he technically started Pre-K, his school does a two-day phase in program that only has half of the class there on two separate days, then on the third day, the class is combined. Kyle's first day was on Wednesday, of course, which meant that yesterday, Thursday, was his day off. When we were getting everything loaded up in our pickup, Kyle was a tremendous help, because he could carry some of the lighter things, thus saving us a few trips. After about five to ten minutes of shuffling things around, we had everything loaded and ready to go. (Like I said, I was ready.)

We finally got to town around 10:30 or so, which was fine with me, because move-in for the Freshman began at 10, and I wanted to beat the rush and the heat. I found my dorm mom, Peggy, in her room, and I filled all of the necessary paperwork, and got my key. I was ready for action! When we got here, Carissa and her mom, Brenda, were already here getting things cleaned and Carissa's things in place. They were in the upstairs portion, so my mom, Kyle, and I started bringing my things in, and setting them on the ground floor. After we got my things in, I went upstairs and gave the place a once-over, getting a mental map of the place again. I found out then that I wouldn't need my plastic 5-drawer set that I got because I have more closet space than I would theoretically need. (Emily was actually talking about getting a drawer set similar to mine, so we let her have it, instead.)

My mom got right to work cleaning cabinets in the kitchen area, which is something that I honestly might not have thought to do, because I guess I take for granted the fact that kitchen counters should be clean. Thank goodness for moms and Clorox spray! We got all of my kitchen things (which wasn't that much stuff), put away while we waited for Carissa and Brenda to finish upstairs, so we wouldn't get in their way.

When my mom, Kyle, and I had our first chance to, we got upstairs and made my bed. This was when we noted the fact that my bed is dangerously close to the stair railing, which has gaps in the rungs of about 2 feet, which could be plenty of space for me or any of my things to easily slip through. We decided that something had to be done about that, and my mom suggested some plywood that we could cover with some foam rubber and fabric. After Kyle nearly fell through while playing around, we KNEW that something had to be done. By 1:00, I was pretty well moved in, and it was time to eat, because we were all hungry, thirsty, and on the verge of grumpiness. Thank goodness for Braum's!

I really have to hand it to Kyle, because the little guy was quite the trooper. Of course, he was being his typical four-year-old self, but that was only to be expected. We sat in Braum's for quite a while, soaking up the cool and resting. Also, we were waiting for my dad to get to town so that we could show him my room, and get his take on the plywood situation. We finally went back, and, after seeing that, my dad suggested some pegboard, which we happened to already have, and it would be much easier to secure, not to mention easier to transport. I was also trying to figure out a solution for a nightstand, which was when my dad suggested using one of our ceramic crocks that he made a plywood cover for and uses for cup/plate holders at our 3rd of July. I loved both ideas.

After we left my dorm, my mom, Kyle, and I decided to stop by Dollar General for a few things that we thought of while moving in. It had already been a long day, and I was feeling very overwhelmed by that point. I had a bunch of changes, and they were all hitting me, little by little. It was also extremely warm in the store. I was being impossible by that point, and I felt bad for my mom having to put up with me. When we finally checked out, I paid for my things, and somehow, the register messed up, and the cashier needed the other lady to help her reset the register. That took another five minutes or so. I settled for not getting a receipt, and went on out to start the pickup and cool off. A few minutes later, Mom and Kyle returned with their bags, and two receipts, one for me, and one for my mom. Kyle took a brief, but much-needed nap on the way home, and he rested for a short while after we were home. My dad got the pegboard all cut and set up for me, and I got more of my things loaded in my pickup.

My mom told me that I needed to make supper, so I decided to make pork chops and baked sweet potatoes, one of my favorites. What started as a simple meal turned into an ordeal because the pork chops took forever to defrost, and were much larger than I anticipated, causing me to have to use two pans. I wasn't too thrilled about that at all. After an hour or so of finagling, supper was ready. Gina and Andrew came over to see me off after they finished eating supper. Andy was more excited about seeing my mom or playing with his farm set than he was about seeing me. (I wasn't too surprised by that, actually.)

I finally left my house around 9 or so, which was later than I planned on. When I finally got back to the dorms, I had to bring things in and shower, which I was ready to do. Until I saw that all of the parking spots in front of my room were taken. I was upset by that, but it was okay. I got a few things, and I went to unlock my door. I had the hardest time getting my door unlocked, and I had to call my parents to guide me in unlocking my door. (It has a weird lock on it that I'm not used to.) By the time I got into my room, I was in tears. After a while, everything was moved in, and I showered. Carissa wasn't quite back, so I decided to wait up so that I could make sure she got in alright.

When she got here, we had a wonderful chat, and I already know that I have a great roommate! I'll tell you more about her later, but I think that we will get along splendidly!

There are a few things that took some getting used to in my dorm. The first is that the upstairs portion of our room is at least twenty degrees warmer than downstairs, which is freezing (in my opinion). Another is the different shower. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to switch it to the spray instead of the faucet. When I figured that out, I was greeted by the sudden burst of water that was flowing at a pressure I never realized was possible. It felt more like a sandblaster than a shower. It was different, to say the least. The last thing, that I know of yet, that is different is the fact that I have a twin bed here, as opposed to home, where I have a full-sized bed. It was comfortable and I did sleep, but I had a hard time sleeping soundly. I imagine that I'll get used to that in time.

Soon, I will go on to the Freshman orientation, which isn't necessary, but I feel like I should go, just to hopefully meet people, and see old friends. I hope today goes well.