Middle child has a new job. We spent last week moving him out to Kansas and getting him settled into his new apartment. He was offered the job six weeks ago, and we've spent the last six weeks getting him ready to move - buying a car, getting insurance, finding an apartment, packing everything up, unpacking and deciding what he REALLY needed, and then packing up again.
If you weren't paying attention last week, the weather was pretty horrendous.
When we left here on New Year's Eve, we had two cars loaded with junk, and the roads were snow covered. I drove one car, and husband drove the other. Let me tell you, we were thrilled to get west of the mountains and away from the snow!
We moved out of the snow and into the cold. New Year's Day, the temperature was a warm and wonderful -5*F. The windchill took that temperature down even further.
He moved into his apartment on Tuesday. With the windchill, the temperature was down to -15*F. Good Lord, it was cold! We moved him in, but moving someone in while wearing heavy down coats and gloves is an entirely new experience. It's slow, and you just can't seem to move fast enough. When we finished, I couldn't feel my face. Due to middle child's lack of moving space, he had no furniture to sit on, so we sat on the floor, huddled around heating grates, trying to warm up!
His apartment is very nice. It's a one bedroom. He has a small galley kitchen, his own washer and dryer, and a built in desk in the kitchen. His bathroom is attached to his bedroom. All told, he's got 800 square feet of space. It's a very nice size for a young man starting out on his own!
The temperature wasn't a lot warmer when we came back home. It was still below zero, but the windchill wasn't as severe. The road back seemed to be even longer than the road out. Possibly because we were coming from the Central Time to Eastern.
Middle child is settled as best he can be. He has food. He now has two chairs - one a kitchen chair and one a living room chair. We offered a U-Haul trailer. His grandmother has furniture she wanted him to take with him, but he refused to take it. So.... he has very little furniture, and no tv or internet.
As he reminded me, he can get internet at the library, and he's going to be at work more than he's going to be home.
We're flying out to see him at Easter - we know he's not going to have any vacation time for a while now. Hopefully we'll pick up a few more things for him while we're out there next. Like maybe a sofa. Or possibly a kitchen table. Maybe even a bed. (Although, if I must admit, I didn't have an actual bed in my apartment for the first year I lived out on my own. He doesn't know that - but you know, I can understand.)
It's kind of odd to see our kids grow up and take off on their own. I mean, it's what we spent the last 20 - odd years working towards, but it's still weird to see them out on their own when all you see in your head is a toddler running around with a giant stuffed Cheetah, wearing a black cape and conquering the neighborhood!
Wow I'm going to miss him!
