Drake heads to Oregon State University

Wintery only begins to describe the scene this morning as we took Drake to college.  The roads were filled with water, slush, and gravel.  We have lived in Oregon for almost a year and a half and this is the first winter that snow has been a part of our vocabulary.  And not just a little bit of snow, but lots and lots of white fluffy flakes falling from the clouds.

To be honest, I wasn't sure we were going to make it this morning. The forecast was calling for ice. We waited until the afternoon and left when we thought the roads would be plowed and cleared. We were right and ventured over the Cascade Pass and down into Corvallis with little problem.  The trees were dusted with white piles of fresh snow.  Each tree a different shade of green.  It was as if we were driving through a picture.

Arriving on campus was thrilling for me. I could tell Drake was filled with anxiety as the day approached and even more so as we drove pass the stadium.  His reality was becoming more and more confirmed with a decision that he was still grappling with-college or no college.  Arriving we found ourselves parked out front and ready to move into his dorm room.

With key in hand we set out to open his floor door.  With each attempt we saw red, not green.  UH-OH.  Something was not right.  After a few exchanges of cards we were told that we would have to be patient and get assistance each time he wanted on to the floor.  His dorm area is brand new and they were experiencing some technical difficulties.While he ran between the buildings trying to figure out the key, Finnley and I waited with his stuff.

He brought the bare minimums.  Maybe it's a guy thing.  I'm not sure how he is going to manage with so little but he will figure it all out soon enough.  His room mate was out.  It felt weird to drop off our stuff and run but that's what we did.  We still had to buy him a bike, some last minutes stuff, and take him to his job to get his key to open on Monday morning

Against his will, he posed for a selfie of the two of us. I was all smiles and he was over this whole day.

The weather continued to warm up but we were still anxious to be on our way back to the beach in case the roads were icy once the sun went down.  He was anxious for us to leave.

He has been patiently waiting the last four months for this next chapter of his life to start and today it did.  He took the leap and is plunging into college life.  I didn't want to leave.  The energy and vive of the campus is amazing!  The kids were all nice, helpful, and full of life.  I could have stayed there in his place.

He walked me to the car. Said goodbye to his dad. We drove away.

I never looked back. I don't know if he stayed or turned away and went inside.

I know that he is going to have an amazing experience. I'm glad that he made the decision to go to college. Who knows, maybe we will graduate at the same time. I will be a student there this time next year.

He better tell me when parents day is too--I'm coming in all my orange glory to celebrate in his accomplishment of becoming an engineer at Oregon State University.

GO BEAVERS!