Hudson's Graduation :: Day 03

Saturday was the school-wide graduation celebration. Again, it was bright and early at 9:00am. But we wanted to get there when the doors opened at 8:00am to get a good seat. Besides the fact that Hudson was in the very last row and we were closer to the front, it was perfect. Ha! Jon Hamm was the keynote speaker. He was entertaining and had a great message. Each school is called for their official graduation. When the School of Science and Engineering were called, they tossed paper airplanes. I'm just so happy Hudson finally got a graduation. (His, and many of the graduating class of 2024, was a drive through ceremony -- what a weird time). Afterwards, we met up with his roommate Henry and his family for some photos, then went back to our place for some lunch and to watch another important graduation. Our niece Maia graduated from Marquette Law School. Also with honors. These kids are incredible. We took Hudson back to his place, then walked around the park again. The geese and ducks are not phased by people at all. It's pretty crazy. That night we went to Brasserie by Niche to celebrate with Steak & Frites, and Pettit favorite. 

Hudson's Graduation :: Day 01/02

I have no idea where the past 4 years have gone, but Hudson graduated college this past weekend. It was an amazing celebration for an incredible guy. Seriously, I'm so proud of him. It's crazy to think about the first day that we moved him in (to Western Michigan). During the height of the pandemic, when there was constant fear and no in-person classes, but still craving that experience. He ended up transferring to St. Louis University. After a trying first semester, he ended up moving in with a great group of guys in the second half of the year. Honestly, this is really when his college experience started. They ended up being his roommates his junior year as well. COVID started loosening up a bit. He had a great year. Those roommates all graduated, so he lived with a couple of his swim friends his senior year. Between his friends and experiences (club swim and flight team), he can look back on this time fondly. That makes me so happy. 

Nina & Papa met us in St. Louis to celebrate. We picked up pizza and relaxed the first night. Hudson didn't get back from Flight Team competition until late, and I had picked Cole up at O'Hare the night before. He was jetlagged from his adventures in The Netherlands. The next morning, the School of Science & Engineering had their graduation at 8:30am in the morning. We did a poor job coordinating where he would be, so didn't get any good stage photos, but were thrilled to hear his name called. Not only did he graduate, he graduated summa cum laude. Wow. We met him after graduation and walked around campus. Papa had never been before, so got the grand tour. Of course, I had to take graduation photos at every chance I could get. We grabbed lunch and then had a little celebration at our apartment before Hudson took a nap, and some of us walked around. We've stayed at this apartment before. It's in a great area right by the Botanical Gardens and Tower Grove Park. That night we had dinner in The Hill. What a perfect day.

Saint Louis University

Well, Hudson is officially moved in to his new college and city. We woke up bright and early to make the long haul to St. Louis. Move-in was a breeze. There are so many students helping the freshman and transfer students. We lucked out for sure. Considering he decided to transfer about a month before actually going, his dorm was one of the last on his list. But you know what? It's kind of amazing. It's HUGE, and he and his roommate have their own bathroom, if you can believe it. After unpacking, we were starving, so drove to drop off our U-Haul and pick up some Salt + Smoke BBQ. Absolutely delicious. Brian and I left Hudson to do his thing, then checked into our hotel and wandered around campus. I had never been before, so loved seeing everything. It's really nice. The next morning was Convocation. We weren't really sure what it was about, but are so glad we went. It was pretty inspiring, and the President of the University was absolutely amazing. After that, we had a couple hours, so took Hudson for lunch again. We went to a new food court called The Foundry. It opened about 1.5 weeks ago, and is even walking distance from Hudson. That will be nice to have there, for sure. Then, we had to say our goodbyes, and made sure to drive past the airport where Hudson will be spending a lot of time. Ugh, goodbyes suck. I really missing having him around, but seriously, it was time to go. Such an exciting future ahead. Here's to a much better year. 

College Move-In

After years of prepping and months of anticipating, we moved H to college this week. We woke up bright and early Thursday and made our way to Kalamazoo. First stop was a COVID test, then it was time to move in. His roommate had slot earlier that day, so was already set up and waiting for him. And his roommate was able to get in earlier that week to drop some things off so lofted their beds. We only had 90 minutes, so it was huge. We did all we could, then it was time to let them be. Since it was my first time on campus, we drove out to the airport, which is pretty incredible. I can see why H picked Western Michigan to pursue Aviation. That night Brian, C and I went to Hopcat for dinner. So many places are closed yet, but it was perfect. I was exhausted, and ending up falling asleep by 10pm, which is crazy earlier for me, especially since Michigan is an hour ahead! 

The next day we grabbed breakfast then went to Target and the hardware store for a few quick things. We had one more quick visit with H to drop everything off and got to peek in at their room. They finished most everything yesterday which was amazing, and were spending the day doing their virtual welcome. We said our goodbyes (again) then Brian, C and I walked around campus before heading back. We are home now, and it seems extra quiet here. This is going to take some getting used to. I already miss him like crazy. I know in my heart it was time for him to leave -- it's just hard. This is such a crazy time to be heading off to college. So much is still uncertain. I just hope they have a safe, healthy, and incredible semester. Only a few months until he'll be home again. Hopefully.