Well, I did it.  I survived dropping off my last child at college.  Whew!  Not for the faint of heart for sure.  Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about it…The long drive there (20 hours for this one!) as we watch the changing landscape out the windows.  That first drive onto campus, everyone milling about with those wonderful looks on their faces, a mix of excited, terrified, and thrilled all rolled into one, parents and students alike!  The trepidation of meeting the roommates for the first time.  Who are these strangers I will be crammed into one tiny room with for the next several months?  Will I like them?  Will they like me? Oh, and of course, I’ve written about it before, the decorating of the dorm room.  I live for that, even though this time it was my son, which is spectacularly less exciting and involves drastically less decorative throw pillows than my daughter’s room, umm…zero to be exact sadly.  No bling in sight this time.  Breaks my heart!  I did get to enjoy choosing scents that complement each other when it came to stashing order eaters in every conceivable crevasse, but that is as far as my creativity stretched this time!  Still, I loved it and our time together getting him settled.  That was a gift.

That hug goodbye though.  That long drive home.  Those are the tough parts.  You hope beyond reason they are happy.  Your heart soars when you know they have found their place, their school just fits, and their smile over FaceTime says it all.  You have their back if they get off to a slower start, their consummate cheerleader.  They know you are home no matter how far they lay their heads.

I love that I have a business that in some small way can be a part of moments like these.  That can, with a simple necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings, capture this moment in time and serve as a reminder of what their college beginning was like, the dream of all it will be, and the spark that calls to mind the many wonderful times had there when this time in their lives is long past.

There are many ways to commemorate these moments.  I, too, love my college sweatshirts, but a bit more unique option of a stylish necklace, a fun bracelet, or cute earrings work as well.  Just a thought…