Elizabethtown College

Well... I did it!  I managed to drop Brandon off to college without having a melt down.

I seriously thought I would be devastated and crying the entire hour and half home. 

Don't get me wrong, I did have tears. Just not hysterical, Niagara Falls tears.

Seeing how nice the campus is and the friendly faces of other students has made my 

'parent-letting-go' phase a whole lot better.  

Brandon: down in front with black shirt.

Brandon: rear right with white shirt.

I have read on the internet that kids leaving the nest are "launching out", "becoming his own person", "growing independent","becoming a free moral agent", blah..blah...blah.  But they don't always sound so positive and gentle when he's lived out his entire life in our home. 

Library

However, I hate to admit that they are right: my teenager is separating from me and gravitating toward his new college friends.  I logically understand that this process is normal, natural and necessary. I know if I fight it, I will lose. 

Brandon moving away is particularly difficult for me because he is my youngest child.  The first two weeks were difficult for him too.  He was out of his realm and didn't think he'd meet friends or like it there.  His Dad and I encouraged him to stick it out and involve himself with clubs.  He may or may not always take our advice.  We've been lucky that Brandon shares a lot of his life with us.  Of course, sometimes it seems like de doesn't want us around.  I have come to the conclusion that I will be there for him - just in case.

Student lounge

 Originally Brandon was going to work at the Jay's Nest (which is the cafeteria).  He has experience working with food because he had a job at a local pizza shop for a few years.  His first training session at the Jay's Nest was on the grill and things were fine.  However, his first shift they put him on register.  He has never worked a register and felt very uncomfortable.  He spoke to the manager about it and she was really rude to him. He later sent his resignation in an email and said it wasn't going to work out.  The manager wrote back a very unprofessional response. (I know because I read the email she wrote to him.)

Cafeteria

outside of cafeteria

Brandon is a very healthy eater.  He is having a difficult time finding things at the cafeteria that aren't fried or greasy.  Last time he was home I made him a lot of chicken and rice, filled up tupperware containers and sent them back to school with him to put in his dorm fridge.

After his second week - Brandon went on a date, joined the hockey team and also the men's league hockey team.  He has made quite a few friends and is adjusting.  He is a very social person, I knew once he gave the college a chance he would be fine.

Business facility.

Brandon is studying business.  His first business class is Accounting 101.  His first test he got a C and was not happy at all!   The next two he earned A's.  He is learning it's a lot of work and studying, much different that high school.

business department

Business Dow Jones Wall

Classrooms

Math & Science Building

Lecture Hall

They gymnasium offers a lot of sports and activities for the students.  Ice hockey is not one of them.  The boys have to drive to a rink for practices and games.  The rink Brandon will be practicing on is a rink he played at with his travel team over the years.  The rink they are playing games on is a much better rink and is about 2 hours away from my home.  Brandon asked me if I was going to his games. I said Hell Yeah!  I'm not missing one of his games.  I would say it's been a handful of games I may have missed since he has played in 3rd grade.  I had to feel like I was on my death bed before I'd not attend a game.  (Yeah, I'm one of those crazy hockey moms).

Gymnasium Building

Dorms

His dorm is a bit small, but nice.  He likes his roommate, even though they don't have a lot in common.  It's important to get along with your roommate. Otherwise living on campus would be a terrible experience.  

Where outdoor events take place.

chapel

 The chapel is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen.  Elizabethtown College was founded in 1899 by the Church of the Brethren.  The college offers religious studies.

chapel

 I hope you enjoyed the campus photos of Elizabethtown College.  It really is gorgeous.

Class of 2015 {Daniel Boone HS}

My baby graduated high school.   I know this is a cliché, but where did the time go?  

Seriously!  I can still remember his little infant hand grabbing my pinkie.  

Now it's time for me to let go.

It's also time for him to move on and prepare for a new chapter in his life.

Brandon was very social, a good athlete and strived to achieve good grades.  

These things were important to him.

He learned to have a balance between his friends, sports and the academic goals he wanted to meet.

I feel lot of parents and schools have come to focus on awards, grades and test scores. Our society focuses on monetary and material success. But will these things define our kids in the end?

One of the many qualities I love about Brandon is his attitude towards life. Attitude means everything.  I've heard parents say this to their children over and over again (we are one of them).  Everyone says this because it really does!  The kind of attitude your child carries will be reflected in the course they take in life, and in whom they will attract, both personally and professionally.

Brandon and his grandparents

Another quality I adore about Brandon is his sense of humor. The world can easily see it! There is no question that many of his teachers would have preferred to see less of it, but he has always managed to balance the “class clown” act carefully enough to not cross the invisible line into serious annoyance.

Through out high school Brandon has been surrounded by a good group of friends.  They were trustworthy and loyal to one another.  It seems like they were always finding something fun and exciting to do.  Brandon was typically the center of attention and he has a strong level of confidence.  He was not afraid to laugh at himself.  

Congratulations to Brandon and to the Class of 2015 on all the tremendous accomplishments. 

You should be extremely proud of yourselves for your hard work and dedication over these past four years.

Dear Brandon

Love is not easy to put into words, especially a mother’s love, the depth of which is unfathomable.

When I look at you now, tall and strong, I don’t just see an eighteen-year-old man, I see you in all of your life’s stages at once.  I see you as a newborn in my arms in the shadows of midnight, a blur of curly blonde hair racing to keep up with your brothers, the pink shirts you wore throughout elementary school, the tender realization in your eight-year-old green eyes that stealing the hockey puck was okay. (Who knew that sharing with others didn’t apply in sports?)

I remember the day you came home from Kindergarten and told me the teacher forgot to talk about Jesus, the way your face lit up when you opened your first pair of hockey skates on Christmas morning, green blankie, Funny Monkey, calling you “Moose”, your first hockey game (and first hockey fight), the 8th grade formal dance, singing “It’s Raining Men” during the cruise karaoke night, your first heartbreak, first job at Center Ice, learning to drive the car (and first ticket), prom, a proud captain of your travel and school hockey teams, winning the EPSHL championship, and now, a man.

As much as a mother raises her son, so does a son raise his mother.  You have taught me many things as I have watched you grow.  From you I have learned the power of a tender heart as I have witnessed your quiet kindness to others all of your life.  Your teachers throughout grade school up to high school always remarked how much they loved having you in class (Though there was that rough patch with Miss Shriner). You attract friends wherever you go, and I admire how loyal you are to them. 

You have a natural tenacity and ability to accept life as it unfolds.  This is a skill that will serve you well in the years to come, because life is about transformation, a decades long process of becoming. There are chapters, but no destinations. In the years to come, as you are surprised or sidelined unexpectedly or sent in directions unanticipated, remember that it is unfolding as it should be. 

You taught me how to find joy in the moment. You have the gift of turning the mundane into amusement.  You see comic irony in the world around you. Your wry humor is a constant source of delight that lightens our days.  It reminds us to relax and not take everything so seriously. I will miss this tremendously when you go to college.  

Brandon, I love you. You are the son that every mother dreams of having. I could not be more thankful for you and proud of the man you have become.  Your character and integrity are important to you.  You are finding your voice and moving forward in positions of leadership.  

Choose wisely and you will live without regret, because real and lasting happiness has nothing to do with material possessions, it is a result of living your values, even when it is difficult. Even when choosing to stand for what is right means that you will lose friends or perhaps a job/position.

Senior year is a year of letting go, when motherhood becomes a complicated mixture of pushing you forward and holding you back. Every day I cry a few tears (okay, a lot of tears) as I get used to the idea of your moving on from our home, but at the same time, I am so excited for you to embrace this next phase of life.  Have fun, work hard, and enjoy every single day.

I am in your corner, your loudest cheerleader, and proudest Elizabethtown College Mother EVER!  ~ Love, Mom

Fears I am facing

A mother always worries about her children, whether they are young or older.  The fears I am currently facing are about my children.  I am scared of...

• Ahren being stuck in a job he hates and talking about getting a new job that is hours away from home.
• Zachary graduating from college and potentially getting a job on the other side of the country in CA.
• Brandon going away to college in the fall.

These things may not seem scary, but as their mother, it is. I'm sure other mom's out there can understand how I feel.  The fear of your child moving far away is bad enough, but all three of my boys?!  It's devastating!  I know, I know... all children grow up and leave the nest.  They may be ready to leave, but I'm not ready to let go.  The feelings of sadness, grief, depression, emptiness and loss are overwhelming.  I'm having difficulty coping with the thought of an empty nest.

Ahren, me, Brandon and Zachary

Most of my life I have focused on raising my boys and caring for the home and family.  It seems like all of a sudden my kids are gone!

What do I do now?  

Recently a good friend made a statement that has helped me through a few bad days. She said "Congratulations, you are blessed! Give yourself a big pat on the back for raising wonderful boys!".  She is right!!  I am very blessed.

I will begin this new stage of being a parent whether I am ready or not.  I have to learn the delicate balance of letting the boys know they have my support but at the same time allowing them to be independent.

Often easier said than done.

Hockey High School Senior Night

Brandon is a high school senior.  His ice hockey club recognized each senior who has played hockey for Daniel Boone HS.  What a wonderful memory for the boys, coaches and parents.

It was nice that the parents were included in the ceremony. 

The icing on the cake was winning the game that night beating their top rival team!!

 I'm so proud of Brandon and his team.  They are headed to the championship next week!!