Auburn University {Moving In & A Mini Vacay}

When it came to moving in, I got a lot of advise from a lot of experienced parents. Overall, it was a pretty flawless process. Here’s how it all went down.

We loaded up Sisters suburban the night before. There was literally not one inch without stuff. Not only did we carry everything of John’s, but also much of the furniture another mom had ordered for the living room. The blue packing bags and rolling cart were both invaluable.

Celebrating the Class of 2024 {12 Gifts on the 24th: Packing & Moving}

I cried so many tears the night before, that we got off pretty well Monday morning. John tried on the blazer I ordered last minute for overnight delivery and said goodbye to the puppies, Mimi and Epaw. Whit was already at school.

I spent the two hour drive in the backseat between the laundry hamper, fan and backpack. It all started off cheery, until the tears came. I cried the whole way there. Silently because I didn’t want John to feel bad or like this wasn’t right. I kept thinking it was the most horrible drive, until I realized I’d have to also make the drive home – without him.

We stayed at The Laurel, which is essentially on campus and absolutely AMAZING! It’s a tiny hotel with only 26 rooms. The concierge greeted us on arrival and immediately gave me a giant hug. She asked if I wanted a tour, or to go straight to the room. I think I surprised them all when I sniffled out “tour”. Within five minutes of the start, Honey whispered in my ear “well you really perked up”. I responded that a nice hotel makes me so happy that even college drop off can’t damper the feeling. :-) We arrived on campus around 11AM, with a move in time of 1PM. The hotel had our room ready so we were able to unload our little bags, freshen up a bit, and then have lunch together at the hotel in The Library. I’m going to do a FULL review of this stunning property next week. Guests get special perks for booking with me, including a $100 resort credit to use during your stay. Call me Auburn peeps!

John’s dorm houses 4 boys, each with their own bedrooms. There are two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchenette to share. Our move-in day/time was the same as the one roomie from Connecticut. One of his other roommates is a very closer friend, and the other is a friend he’s had since they were toddlers. Honey and his dad grew up playing baseball together!

We knocked out his bedroom this first afternoon and gave the entire place a thorough cleaning (although it was already very clean!). I’ll share links and all the pics of his room this week.

We left John around 5:30. He headed to the gym, dinner and the fraternity house with friends. (He rushed and pledged this summer.) Honey and I enjoyed dinner at Walt’s on the Roof at The Laurel. Then, we went over to the rooftop pool for Sparkling Sunset! It was a perfect night, and I loved knowing our boy was nearby starting to live his best college life.

Tuesday morning John slept in but I was up early to enjoy a lovely breakfast the hotel. I did a little work and took a walk around campus. It is truly the sweetest town.

On tap for the afternoon was helping with the shared spaces. The third roommate moved in at 9AM and the fourth later in the afternoon. Everyone was so excited and had so much fun pitching in to turn this place into a lovely home for the boys. I’ll share details and links on these spaces, too.

While John helped one of his fraternity brothers move in, I headed to the rooftop pool and then the spa. This whole week was the perfect mix of moving, time with John, time with Honey, time exploring the town, and time doing a few things just for me.

We had dinner at The Hound with all of the boys and their parents. It was a fun location, great for a group. It made it easier to leave John knowing he has such great roommates from such nice families to lean on this year.

Wednesday morning one of the other dad’s brought a bag of Big Blue Bagels and we enjoyed one last breakfast with the boys. We all agreed that a bagel breakfast farewell would be the roomie tradition whenever parents visited. It was cute to see them taking such good care of their space. All the beds were made, laundry was in hampers, counters were wiped down… :-)

After breakfast John was helping with another move so we dropped him off there and said our final farewell. Gosh yall. This was hard.

Two of the sweetest friends surprised us with dinner on our return. It made me feel so loved and understood coming home, and took the burden of putting together a good supper off my plate for the night. I still had all of my Auburn table things out, so we all gathered around the table and talked about the move in.

The days in Auburn were so full of every emotion. Pride, fear, excitement, nervousness and, mostly, JOY! I don’t feel qualified to give advise on this subject with my limited experience, but I am most thankful we did this our way. We stayed the few nights, left him in a space that feels homey and cozy, got to experience life in the loveliest village on the plains, and eased into our exit. I am immeasurably grateful for the last 18.5 years of having him under my roof, for celebrating all the things, for creating traditions, for taking the trips, for making the memories, and for the fact that he gets to take this next step. No regrets. He’s ready to soar!

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