
I had the privilege of driving my neice to college this September. It's been such a joy to watch her grow up over the years. I lived with her for the first year of her life and then I've lived about 10 minutes away from her ever since. She is such a great person and it's been a joy to see her grow and change over the years.
I gave my niece my old bike, so she can ride around campus. Luckily, all of her stuff fit in my car including a mini fridge.

It took no time to get her checked in and unpacked. Her dorm room is tiny! I never had the dorm experience since I went to PCC and then PSU. I'm hoping to live vicariously through her. Her roommate was super nice and I think they will be great friends.

We picked up non-perishable groceries and then had dinner with all of the other freshman and their parents. After dinner, I said good-bye as she joined her adventure team. The next day she would go on a rafting and mountain climbing adventure to bond with her new classmates.
I headed for a hotel close by campus. It's amazing, but this was the first time I've spent a night alone in a hotel room. It was really quite nice.
Having an actual key to the room was a nice change. I can't remember the last time I wasn't handed a key card. The 5 hours back home wasn't bad and it gave me lots of time to think about my niece and that time of life and all the great things ahead for her.