Are they all home now?

[swimmermom3]

You all warned me about the perils of school across country and traveling home during the winter holidays.

 

So far, ds has been fortunate. The airlines rerouted his flight in through Detroit to Atlanta. They are boarding now and scheduled to be on time.

 

Ds's roommate, who is coming to visit us, booked his flight later than ds and had to fly out of Baltimore instead of DC, but it also was supposed to fly in to Detroit and the guys would arrive here on the same flight.  We just got word that the airlines gave him a hotel room in Baltimore and he will fly out through St. Paul tomorrow.  His new tickets show first class, but as he is an international student, I'm not sure if that is what he had to begin with or if they bumped him up.  It'll be quite the adventure.

[Luckymama]

Gosh, the weather has been crap here since midnight or so. I'm glad he's on the way home. Best wishes to his roomie for smooth (er) travel tomorrow!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I just got back from picking up my DS. We cannot afford the limo fares to the closest airport as well as the ticket so I do the 800 mile drive. With gas & one night at a hotel, I can do the trip for less than $200. A plane ticket & limo fees are between $800-1200. There are no direct flights between our local airports and those closest to DS's schools. I've got the drive down to a science. I know exactly when I need to stop for gas, where the coffee shop is for my mid-trip chai, and which hotel to stay in. It's the same every trip. The trip out was my fastest trip yet - 11 hours and 15 min each way. With a short hotel stay, the round trip was less than 35 hours; a couple of hours were added due to a semi jackknifed on a bridge in Ohio and lots of fog in Indiana.

 

DS was able to help drive on the way home so I was able to enjoy a bit of the scenery without having to focus on traffic.  MariannNova stayed on top of the storms hitting the east coast and, with her updates, I was able to plan the trip and avoid the storms. 

 

DS is happy to be finished with exams and papers and is looking forward to some down time.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Scoutermom

[bettyandbob]

There was an ice storm that passed through the mid atlantic so I think that's why those flights were changed. dh drove back with ds today so I was little worried about the roads, but by the time that they got back to our area tonight the roads were cleared (there were some big highway pileups earlier). 

 

dd got home Monday. She was a wreck--lots of dorm drama interfered with her sleep and study before her last exam. It took a couple days at home just to relax. On Thursday we hosted a friend of hers from school who finished exams later than her arrived at our house for the night.( We live near an airport, so we could help out) He flew home to his country late last night. He normally wouldn't have gone home, but his sister is getting married. dd had a good time hanging out with her friend yesterday. 

 

I haven't gotten to talk to ds a lot since he walked in the door a couple hours ago, but I think he had a good semester. 

[gingersmom]

My daughters flight was delayed 4 hours (frozen parts on plane) but finally took off and she got home (Friday). Today (Saturday) hundreds of flights into/out of our airport have been canceled so I am thrilled she is home.

 

We have been doing this for years but it never gets less stressful.

Edited December 18, 2016 by gingersmom

[EKS]

My son flew home from Boston yesterday.  I'm so glad he didn't stay an extra day, as apparently there were a tons of delays today.

[creekland]

Youngest made it home without a hitch last night.

 

We won't be picking middle up until next Friday because he has to stay until the bitter end due to being a dorm RA.

 

Both leave in early Jan this year, so we'll only have a short time together.  

[bettyandbob]

I just got back from picking up my DS. We cannot afford the limo fares to the closest airport as well as the ticket so I do the 800 mile drive. With gas & one night hotel, I can do the trip for less than $200. A plane ticket & limo fees are between $800-1200. There are no direct flights between our local airports and those closest to DS's schools. I've got the drive down to a science. I know exactly when I need to stop for gas, where the coffee shop is for my mid-trip chai, and which hotel to stay in. It's the same every trip. The trip out was my fastest trip yet - 11 hours and 15 min each way. With a short hotel stay, the round trip was less than 35 hours; a couple of hours were added due to a semi jackknifed on a bridge in Ohio and lots of fog in Indiana.

 

DS was able to help drive on the way home so I was able to enjoy a bit of the scenery without having to focus on traffic.  MariannNova stayed on top of the storms hitting the east coast and, with her updates, I was able to plan the trip and avoid the storms. 

 

DS is happy to be finished with exams and papers and is looking forward to some down time.

 

11 hours. wow. ds school is at least 8 hours, with no bus, train or airport access. It's about 4 hours to a city that has such transportation that would lead our way. So, unless he can find a ride we have to pick him up. He's gotten rides for Thanksgiving, fall break, and spring break, but never end of semester. ds doesn't have a license so he can't help with the drive either. 

[creekland]

I just got back from picking up my DS. We cannot afford the limo fares to the closest airport as well as the ticket so I do the 800 mile drive. With gas & one night at a hotel, I can do the trip for less than $200. A plane ticket & limo fees are between $800-1200. 

 

This is a good reminder for folks to consider travel costs when looking at schools.

 

We lucked out as it was never on my mind to consider at the time.

 

Oldest (11 or 12 hour drive one way) didn't have easy flights, but there were students from nearby who he carpooled with inexpensively.

 

Middle's flights are generally in the $100 - $150 range with Southwest.  It's a 6 hour drive (one way) if we prefer that.

 

Youngest's flights are also in the $100 - $150 range with Southwest.  I'm thinking that's a 16 or 17 hour drive one way (never did it as a "quick" destination), so I'm really glad his flights are inexpensive.

 

It sure helps us that Baltimore is a hub and Southwest still allows two checked bags for free.  By being a member of their Frequent Flyer club, every 7th or 8th flight is almost free too.

 

I shudder when I think of what we might have gotten saddled with travel cost wise had we not lucked out.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

This is a good reminder for folks to consider travel costs when looking at schools.

 

We lucked out as it was never on my mind to consider at the time.

<snip>

 

Yup! 

[katilac]

dd has been home for over a week; I do the 7-hour each way drive (but inserted a day off in between this time, thanksgiving was just a few weeks before!). None of it is true snow country, so we don't have to worry about that, just rain, rolling hills, and the occasional horror of driving through Roll Tide country on game day.

 

After the first day, it's just felt totally normal to have her home. And this week has just a couple of fun things scheduled before Christmas, so we should be able to relax. 

 

She goes back almost a week before school starts, but that still gives us over two weeks from now! 

[Guest]

Groan...

 

I got one home Tuesday. He took the train from his school to the city his (now ex-) girlfriend lives, and he spent three days staying at her family's house. Then he took the train the rest of the way home, arriving Tuesday morning.

 

However...

 

Tonight I have two more kids traveling home. I have one on the overnight train, arriving in the morning. Two hour drive to pick him up, two hour drive home.

 

One flew from Ohio to DFW but was delayed, thus missing his connecting flight. They got him on another flight, but it doesn't arrive until after midnight (if it arrives at all). DH is in the city at a hotel waiting for him to get in. In the morning they will be making the four hour drive from the airport to home.

 

I'm hoping that all the kids will be home by tomorrow afternoon!

[regentrude]

DD has been done with school for a week (quarter system), but is spending a week in NYC. She is flying home (more precisely: to the nearest airport ,100 miles away) on Monday.

Edited December 18, 2016 by regentrude

[Granny_Weatherwax]

 

I'm hoping that all the kids will be home by tomorrow afternoon!

I hope it all works out for your guys.

 

I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for your DS to stay with his ex-gf's parents.

[Guest]

I hope it all works out for your guys.

 

I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for your DS to stay with his ex-gf's parents.

Yeah, that's a story for another day! LOL

[Mrs.W]

You all warned me about the perils of school across country and traveling home during the winter holidays.

 

So far, ds has been fortunate. The airlines rerouted his flight in through Detroit to Atlanta. They are boarding now and scheduled to be on time.

 

Ds's roommate, who is coming to visit us, booked his flight later than ds and had to fly out of Baltimore instead of DC, but it also was supposed to fly in to Detroit and the guys would arrive here on the same flight.  We just got word that the airlines gave him a hotel room in Baltimore and he will fly out through St. Paul tomorrow.  His new tickets show first class, but as he is an international student, I'm not sure if that is what he had to begin with or if they bumped him up.  It'll be quite the adventure.

 

That's nice that the airline got him a hotel room -- that's not standard anymore, right? Does it vary by airline or is it because he is first class? 

 

We're new to the traveling for school thing and that's been one of my biggest concerns, having DD stranded at an airport all night. She connects through Baltimore and we don't know anyone there. We've thought about having her connect through Chicago/Midway instead because we have several friends and a family member there who could help if needed, but so far the best flights for us have been through Baltimore. Thankfully, it looks like the weather will be fine when she comes home on Wednesday, but I'm sure at some point we will have our own travel horror stories.

[MomsintheGarden]

Ds got a ride home on Friday afternoon, so he missed Saturday morning's ice storm. His school is only 3 1/2 hours away, and we are fortunate that he can ride with a friend. They have a great time traveling together. When friend graduates next December, ds will be able to hopefully ride with his cousin, who plans to attend the same school next year. Ds has been sleeping a lot due to burning the candle at both ends - he got to sleep at 1:30 AM Friday morning after watching Rogue One with friends, then took his last exam at 8 AM the same day. Oy!

 

Dd is in grad school in GA and is flying in on Wednesday. We haven't seen her since June and can't wait!

 

I hope all the remaining travelers make their way home safely.

 

ETA: Fixed typo.

Edited December 18, 2016 by MomsintheGarden

[Guest2]

My son is also a RA, so although his finals were done on Tues, he gets to leave on Sunday. Still, it is a week before Christmas and there is plenty of time for us to see Star Wars, em,... have family time. Hope you all have a happy holiday with your family and everyone arrives home safely soon.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Silver Brook

[swimmermom3]

I am so glad to hear that many are home now and enjoying family time. 

 

Sailor Dude is home and asleep in his bed with his cat.  His poor roommate is having no luck getting here.  The airlines cancelled the flight out out Baltimore this morning and put him on another flight that would get him here at 10:30pm - 24 hours after his original arrival time.  However, that flight has now been delayed.  The wait to talk to customer service on the phone is currently at two hours.  Dh told "B" to go back to the airport to stand in line for customer service and then to call dh when "B" talks to them.  He's a competent young man, but English is his second language so dh will help out.

 

Updated as I type:  dh was able to find an alternate route and rebook "B" online!  I walked in on the part of the conversation where dh was telling him,"and be sure to ask what they can do for you due to being inconvenienced." 

 

To complicate matters here, dh and two of his siblings fly out first thing tomorrow to NC for my MIL's funeral. 

 

For those of you with students still en route, safe travels to all.

 

Kinsa, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of your crew.

[Gwen in VA]

Dd is driving herself home right now and should be here in about an hour! :hurray:

 

She is an organ performance major and thus has a church job, so she needs to go back to the city where her college is located and stay at her apartment for a few nights in order to accompany a few rehearsals and do the Christmas Eve / Christmas Day stuff. She'll be home late on Christmas Day and will STAY home for nearly two weeks -- hurrah!

 

Ds2 is flying in from across the country and will arrive on Friday. Dd1 is driving here and will arrive on Saturday.

 

And when dd2 arrives on Christmas Day the party will begin -- we will be missing ds2 since he'll be spending it with his in-laws -- but everyone else will be here! It happens so rarely that we really treasure the moments when most of them are here together!

Edited December 18, 2016 by Gwen in VA

[Guest]

I got everyone home!

 

It was total cacophony when they all walked in, but it was music to my ears. Things have settled down now, and several of them are napping due to "overnight travel fatigue"... and to be honest, I'm a bit worn out too. I'm about to hunker down for a nap myself.

 

But we got the band back together. We're on a mission from Gawd. (Blues Brothers reference, for those too young to get it!)

Edited December 18, 2016 by Kinsa

[GoodGrief]

I thought that transportation to the airport would be simple; train station right on campus that goes to airport with one transfer. I did not consider that there may not be trains available for super early morning flights, and that Uber may not be running either! A Facebook parents' page post clued me in, then I did my own schedule checking...sure enough.

 

We ended up getting her a hotel room at the airport, and it worked out well. She dropped luggage there after class on Friday, then took the train the short distance into NYC to see holiday lights.

 

The flight out of Newark was delayed an hour and a half, and we did not know until the last minute whether she would make the connection in Seattle. Her sister was supposed to be on the same flight, having finished her quarter at UW. She made it, but barely, and the girls did get to fly together after all.

[Guest]

Saturday travel went well here, ds caught a ride with a friend who was happy not to have a solo drive on snowy country roads. Not leaving till ten gave the highway dept time to plow and treat the roads, so they didn't lose too much time to snow.really glad we had met the father and had confidence that the vehicle had decent tires, brakes and wipers. Good for me too, we had eight inches of snow then rain and an hour drive to the meeting spot, so plenty of time to dig out. Other ds delayed till today due to the Sunday freezing rain, he should have a good dry ride home and his passenger will be able to grab a train and reach the Bronx before midnight.

 

Our advice on Amtrack is book early. The discounts then make it affordable, but the penalty is that the student may not know his finals and work schedule in advance so may be hanging for a few days. Also if its early morning the student may need a friend with a car as the bus route to get to the station may not be running yet and taxi fare is $$.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Heigh Ho

[MysteryJen]

Ds1 drove back with a friend and they rolled in about 45 minutes before it started snowing. We had to pick dd1 up at the airport during the storm. Her flight was delayed a little, but they sat at the gate because the bridge was frozen. Normally an hour one way to the airport, we had an almost 4 hour drive late Friday night. But all the chicks are home for a little while. Dd2 only has ten days at home then she has to be back. Ds1 will be here through mid January.

 

Our new little house is bursting at the seams!

[SkateLeft]

On Saturday, my husband drove about 8 hours to pick up our younger dd and her boyfriend at Iowa State. A winter storm had just rolled through the upper Midwest, making the trip a bit longer than usual. They came home on the bus over Thanksgiving, but the buses were packed for the holiday break, and they both had computers to bring home, so it made more sense to get them.

 

My oldest is done for the semester also, but she's quite content in her little apartment and enjoying hanging out with her friends, so I don't expect to see her home until probably Friday at the earliest. She lives an hour away. 

 

Thanksgiving was so awesome because everyone was under the same roof for 3 days. I forgot how much I missed the noise of having a big family at home! 

[Ms Brooks]

I drove 3+ hours in the rain two weeks in a row, but they are both home now. One flew in from the midwest; the other flew in from the UK. Flight delays into SFO were minor, driving to SFO was a nightmare. Now everyone is sick.  :crying:

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Brought Clemmie home last week.  She still had a paper or two to finish but was glad to get out of the pressure cooker.  A pretty successful first semester is over and she is now done.  The boys are glad to have her home.  I'm just happy to be surrounded by all the family and watch them enjoy being together again!

[regentrude]

DD's plane was two hours late, but is landed now. DH is picking her up at the airport, from there it's a two hours drive home.

[Kassia]

Three out of four were home, but one just went on a road trip with friends and will be back on Friday when my oldest comes home for Christmas.  I can't wait to have the whole family together!  It doesn't happen often.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Erica H

[FaithManor]

Yes. I had to get our middle home from WMU in the middle of the snowmaggedon tjat hit the west side of the state. Normally a 6.75 hr. round trip. Nearly 12 hours. Accidents everywhere.

 

It was awful but it did not get bad until I was too far along to turn around. Hotels booked up too so we inched our way home.

 

Eldest came home for four days. Due to a faculty member family emergency his music theory exam was rescheduled for today. Ds is very sick, too sick to even consider driving so guess who drove ans is posting currently from a campus parking lot instead of at home getting ready for the holidays?

[hopskipjump]

DD is home and we get three weeks!! It's already going by much too quickly, though.

 

She's being fed properly (lol), getting lots of sleep, catching up on reading (which surprised me... I assumed she'd be binge-watching TV, but instead she's read 4 books since coming home!), and catching up on snuggles. :)

 

I honestly hadn't thought about the weather situation. O_O Her flight home is booked at the last-possible-moment (we wanted as much time as possible!!) - and now I'm thinking we should have made her flight the day before, so if weather becomes an issue, she has a wiggle-room day. hmmmm... Guess we'll cross our fingers and toes! :)

 

Then she's gone again for 5 months. Why's the second semester an eternity long??? :/ (She has to stay after the semester itself ends due to her sport, so ... it's soooooo lonnnnggggg). We haven't really figured out how we're going to manage that stretch. DD was pretty ready to be home & recharge for winter break. But, she is tied up (sports, again) for all the spring-semester breaks and can't come home. So, I dunno what we're going to do exactly.

[angela in ohio]

As of yesterday, mine are all home! 

 

One slept for 14 hours last night. :D

Edited December 21, 2016 by angela in ohio

[swimmermom3]

That's nice that the airline got him a hotel room -- that's not standard anymore, right? Does it vary by airline or is it because he is first class? 

 

We're new to the traveling for school thing and that's been one of my biggest concerns, having DD stranded at an airport all night. She connects through Baltimore and we don't know anyone there. We've thought about having her connect through Chicago/Midway instead because we have several friends and a family member there who could help if needed, but so far the best flights for us have been through Baltimore. Thankfully, it looks like the weather will be fine when she comes home on Wednesday, but I'm sure at some point we will have our own travel horror stories.

 

No, actually it's not standard anymore.

 

We finally have the whole story. :tongue_smilie:

 

Roomie was due to fly out of BWI at 5pm on Saturday night with connection in Detroit. The flight was cancelled due to crew issues, not weather!  That's why they gave him a hotel room and first class seating the following day.

 

Unfortunately, there were weather issues and delays the next day.  They cancelled two of his flights and then put him up in a hotel in Baltimore again on Sunday night.  On Monday, the flight left at 5pm and connected through Atlanta.  The flight into Atlanta was late, missing the connecting flight.  Delta put him up in his third hotel room, but this time in Atlanta.  We were finally able to pick him up here on Tuesday afternoon with the flight coming in 30 minutes late.

 

The poor guy!  Today, ds and a friend of his that speaks Mandarin, loaded the roomie into the car and took off for a day trip to Seattle - another 6+ hours of travel! It's a good thing that boy is so easy going and curious. My dh sent the roomie information that he could have taken the train from DC and got here in the same amount of time it took Delta to get him here. :svengo:

 

[Mrs.W]

No, actually it's not standard anymore.

 

We finally have the whole story. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Oh, that poor kid!

 

I thought we would be safe with no weather events going on today, but DD's first flight was cancelled due to a mechanical issue and there's not another available flight until noon tomorrow. The dorms closed today, so DH found her a hotel room that has a shuttle to/from the airport. DD has been completely calm about the whole thing, while I've been having a momma meltdown. Just praying all goes well tomorrow, because I don't know what I'd do if she had to go through what your DS's roommate did.  :crying:

 

Edited to add: Southwest said they would reimburse the cost of the hotel.  :thumbup: And DD did eventually get home. :hurray:

Edited December 23, 2016 by argsmom

[Guest]

Mine went to sleep last night on the couch at 7, woke up for an hour at midnight, then slept until 11 this morning.

 

A freshman girl at his school, all finished with finals and ready for home, was killed Tuesday afternoon when she pulled out in front of a truck on main street.It's a tiny town, narrow roads, and the crossroad there is very odd and tough to see, with a yellow flashing light. I can't stop thinking about it.

Oh, that's horrible. 😔

[MomsintheGarden]

Mine went to sleep last night on the couch at 7, woke up for an hour at midnight, then slept until 11 this morning.

 

A freshman girl at his school, all finished with finals and ready for home, was killed Tuesday afternoon when she pulled out in front of a truck on main street.It's a tiny town, narrow roads, and the crossroad there is very odd and tough to see, with a yellow flashing light. I can't stop thinking about it.

Glad your ds is home. That poor girl and her family. That is absolutely terrible.

[creekland]

Mine went to sleep last night on the couch at 7, woke up for an hour at midnight, then slept until 11 this morning.

 

A freshman girl at his school, all finished with finals and ready for home, was killed Tuesday afternoon when she pulled out in front of a truck on main street.It's a tiny town, narrow roads, and the crossroad there is very odd and tough to see, with a yellow flashing light. I can't stop thinking about it.

 

Glad your guy is home, but ugh!  It would be tough to get that off my mind too.  I feel for her family - a worst nightmare.

 

Not everyone here yet--middle one is still traveling. About 4 more hours to go, but the roads are horrendous!

 

Praying for safe travels.

 

-----

We're leaving in two hours for my mom's and will be picking up our middle son along the way.  Roads are supposed to be good, but crowded.

[Gwen in VA]

Dd2 was home for a few days and then had to go back to her college town for some performances. However, she had the coolest 21st birthday EVER.

 

Yesterday she did a gig doing Christmas music on a theater organ before a show. (Her second time playing a theater organ ever!) Her playing was a huge hit, and the fellow who introduced her said that it was her 21st birthday -- so 900 people spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" to her!!!!!

 

(And then her boss from her church job spontaneously asked her out for dinner so dd wouldn't have to have dinner alone on her birthday. This meant that the boss skipped the show that she had bought tickets for in order to celebrate with my daughter. What a gift! That made my mommy heart burst!)

 

And I am still trying to wrap my brain around 900 people singing happy birthday to my daughter!

[creekland]

We successfully (and uneventfully) picked up middle son yesterday about 4pm and made it further north to my mom's.  Then we had our usual blast of eating, playing games (Masterpiece and Five Crowns), and general catching up together.  It was awesome hearing my mom laugh and relax a bit.  We only have the next two days together (with all of us) and I hope to enjoy it to its fullest, then cry...(due to her health situation and knowing this is our last time all together).  Must enjoy life while one can...

[MysteryJen]

:grouphug:  Creekland

[MomsintheGarden]

Keeping you and your mom in my prayers, Creekland. (((Hugs)))

[creekland]

Keeping you and your mom in my prayers, Creekland. (((Hugs)))

 

It was really tough leaving yesterday.  We had a wonderful time.  I'll get back up there in a week or two (maybe less), but it was most likely the last time the four of us & mom will be together (oldest didn't make it) due to the boys being adults and having totally different plans through the summer and beyond.  At least we've had tons of good times and trips together saved in our memories.

 

Today we're with the in-laws.  One never knows if there will be more times together with them either, but honestly, MIL "died" years ago even though her body is still sort of functioning.  This trip is more for FIL, hubby, and the boys.

 

If there's one thing I've learned growing older, it's in how much wisdom there is in the sayings "Seize the Day," and "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff."  It's so easy to focus on little things that don't matter at all and miss great parts of life.  Of course, there are oodles of classics that try to teach us those points... they're all true.  Therefore, we're enjoying "now" and will mourn later.

[MysteryJen]

Dd1 left this morning. Sigh.

[JennW in SoCal]

Spent my first holiday without either boy. *sniff*!!  One is teaching in Japan and the other has a job that requires him to work on holidays. So we went out of town to spend the holidays with extended family, which was a great distraction, and had long video chats with each boy. We'll all finally be together in March when we travel to Japan to visit the teacher.  

 

Love hearing all your stories, though, and am glad so many of you are together for the holidays!

 

Lisa (Swimmermom), is your boy finally over mono?!

 

 

[swimmermom3]

Spent my first holiday without either boy. *sniff*!!  One is teaching in Japan and the other has a job that requires him to work on holidays. So we went out of town to spend the holidays with extended family, which was a great distraction, and had long video chats with each boy. We'll all finally be together in March when we travel to Japan to visit the teacher.  

 

Love hearing all your stories, though, and am glad so many of you are together for the holidays!

 

Lisa (Swimmermom), is your boy finally over mono?!

 

The boy is finally over mono and the flu that struck 24 hours before his first final. :tongue_smilie: He is currently spending the rest of his break with our "honorary Spanish son" in Madrid. Sailor Dude's roommate from China spent two weeks with us and I think we now have an "honorary Chinese son."  He was just a joy to host.

 

I'd love to hear about your son's experience in Japan when you have time as well as your own travels there.  Dh spent many years there and attended Wasada University for a year abroad. In one of those small world experiences, a good friend that dh met in Japan now sends us occasional reports on Sailor Dude when he stops by her "office."

 

:grouphug: I can't imagine not having your boys there for the holidays.

[Kassia]

Spent my first holiday without either boy. *sniff*!!  One is teaching in Japan and the other has a job that requires him to work on holidays. So we went out of town to spend the holidays with extended family, which was a great distraction, and had long video chats with each boy. We'll all finally be together in March when we travel to Japan to visit the teacher.  

 

 

 

Oh, that is tough.  I dread when that will happen to us, but I know we can't all be together forever.  Glad you have a time to look forward to when you will all be together.  

 

Two out of three of my older kids are gone and my last one goes back to school on Sunday.  It was so special having everyone home.  

[clementine]

Mine heads back tomorrow morning.  She will leave early enough so that she doesn't have to drive in the dark.  I hate seeing her leave again, but if this semester goes as fast as the last one, I'll be happy!  Although, next year I send my second one to college....that will be even harder!!

 

Hope all of the college kiddos got their fill of family, homemade meals, and plenty of sleep!

[creekland]

My last one is back to school: 29 1/2 hours on the road to get her to DIA! Leadville was shut down. I70 was shut down. Monarch Pass was shut down for 10 hours with avalanches. Poncha Pass was impassable. They closed the Cochetopa behind us. We waited for hours for Monarch to open and finally returned to the ranch. We went through Cochetopa, skirting a wrecked semi but made it to Saguache. Tried Poncha Pass but had to turn around with 2 foot drifts and ground blizzards. Went back to Saguache, Center, Monte Vista, and to Alamosa. Only 160 was closed with ground blizzards. It reopened in the morning, but then had to drive through Walsenburg, Pueblo, CO Springs, and then to Denver. And then, of course, I still had to get home. Dd actually beat me to Indiana before I got to the ranch. 36 hours all told. The avalanche chutes on Monarch were pretty impressive. We got 2 feet of snow, with the ski area getting 4. It's now -30, with more snow headed our way. 

 

Just your talking about that weather makes me enjoy winter here in PA more than I did before reading it...  It's 12 here now and only a dusting of snow.

 

I'm still looking forward to our southern trip this winter - and hopefully relocating to the Caribbean in a couple of years (at least for winter).

 

Otherwise, my two boys returned this past week.  Youngest flew out on Monday and started his J Term Tuesday.  Middle flew out Wednesday, then Thursday went with friends to a juggling conference in Quebec City.  He returns (to college) from that today or tomorrow.

 

It seems empty here again.  I miss them when they leave.  (sigh)  I enjoy hearing about their lives though.  They are doing some really neat things.