Flashing Back and Making Memories

Less than two weeks til dorm move-in day at Hofstra and the emotions continue to ratchet up here in the house. Lots of excitement, a fair bit of anxiousness, all tinged with a pressing sense of “holy cow, we’d better get our acts together and finish all those things we were going to do.”

Although we’re trying to play it cool, all three of us are struggling a bit to contain ourselves and focus on everyday life, which might explain a myriad of missed connections, terse conversations, forgotten household tasks and why I came home from teaching a Jazzercise Strength45 class last night to find the front door wide open, lights on … and no one home.

(sigh.)

In preparation for leaving, Catherine has created little goodbye gifts for her friends and for us (does she remember Hempstead, NY, isn’t that far away?).

For Basil, this fun canvas photo collage, featuring highlights from throughout the years and a sweet message.

She’s managed to catch some moments in time that are special to both of them — silly days, our trip on the monorail at the Bronx Zoo, one of our favorite photos from when she was an infant. She is quite proud of it, and it will certainly require a place of honor in the house. Basil is working on that.

For me, half of a set of coffee mugs, both painted with pink-and-purple outlines of Connecticut and New York. Dotted lines connect Greenwich to Hempstead on both mugs. Mine has a heart painted on Hempstead, hers has a heart in Greenwich. An extra-special touch: They are personalized, just in case I forget who I am (or where I am). (They are made by Kim Tyson, whose work is for sale on Etsy.)

Two weeks from today, we’ll be waking up in our separate homes, likely exhausted from the previous day’s move and feeling a whole host of emotions.

Catherine will be exploring the campus, starting to make friends and chart her own way.

That mug will come in handy … as I move into my new home office.