The first paragraph in the next chapter of life has been written

Well, I find myself alone in my hotel room - and Robert is settled in his dorm/house - and tomorrow I depart, leaving him behind. However, this has been a fun week. A great opportunity for a Mother-Son week before leaving him at Phillips Exeter.

Last weekend was the Labor Day hockey tournament in Salem, New Hampshire. There he was on a team with some of his Exeter hockey teammates as well as other hockey players from other prep schools in the New England area. Robert's team did well...and the most exciting part was Robert scored the first goal of his team to start off the season and then scored the tying goal to get them into the quarterfinals. Nevertheless, they lost the quarter final game.

After that last game on Labor Day (Sept. 1), we headed north to our destination of Waterville, ME. It was close to a 3 hour drive from Salem, NH to Waterville, ME. We stopped in Portland, ME for a late lunch/early dinner at Eventide Oyster Co. When we travel, we like to find new places by using Yelp or Urban Spoon apps. We pick a town and see what restaurants get good reviews. So, Robert Yelped and found this spot in Portland. It was amazing and was a fun foodie experience.

Left Side Column: Maine oysters on the half shell; Roasted Jumbo Winterpoint Oysters (Korean BBQ, Slaw, Fried Potato); Eventide Lobster Roll on a steamed bun. 
Middle Column: Name of the Restaurant from the oyster list; photo of the oyster bar/drink bar with the oyster shuckers were hard at work; a Side of mini-biscuits w/soft butter with was sprinkled with salted bacon crumbs and chives
Right Side Column: Beet Salad (Tonnato, Trout Roe, Crispy Quinoa), Tomato Salad (Tahini Vinaigrette, Eggplant Puree, Fried Onion), Corn on the Cob (Aioli Sauce, Salted Bacon Shavings, Sweet/Spicy Peanuts)

Everything was delish! It definitely was an experience in food! Robert and I really enjoyed ourselves.

We finally arrived at our hotel around 5:30pm and, after unpacking the car, we plopped on our beds and relaxed. The purpose of us being in Maine, was to visit Colby College. Last August, Robert and I visited this college as part of our New England college trip. We decided to come back up here so we could take another tour of the campus, for Robert to have an interview by a representative of admissions and to meet with the hockey coaches. It was a great meeting and it sounds like they have some interest in Robert; so he will definitely be re-applying to Colby.

We departed Colby, drove down through Brunswick where Robert had an interview at Bowdoin, and then headed on to Exeter, NH.

Yesterday, Wednesday Sept. 3, was the big day. Robert checked-in at Phillips Exeter, got his key to his room and received his ID. We spent a good part of the day unpacking and setting up his room.

Robert outside his house: The Dutch House. A boys residence; 8 boys will be living there this year. Robert has a double room on the second floor.

On the first floor is the common room which has a living room area with couches and tv. Opposite the living area is a small kitchenette, where the boys can keep some food in the refrigerator. There is also a little hot pad, microwave, sink,  filtered water station and coffee pot. Off this area are two single rooms. The stair case is very narrow!

Robert's Room: 2 beds, 2 desks, 1 book shelf, 1 armoire and 1 closet. The door with the mirror on it leads to the bathroom. On the second floor there is one more bedroom which is also a double. The four boys on the second floor share the bathroom.

When Robert's roommate arrived, we got a chance to meet his parents and his grandparents too. They live about 2 hours from the school. After his roommate finished unpacking, we all decided to move the furniture around, putting the beds on either side of the room and putting the desks in the middle near the window which leads to the fire escape.

We couldn't do much unpacking until later in the evening because Robert's boxes we shipped a few weeks ago to a packaging company in Exeter, which stores such things until move in day, didn't arrive until 6pm (which was very frustrating to say the least). Nevertheless, as soon as those boxes arrived, we opened them up and got them unpacked within 45 minutes.

Robert's Room

Bed made, shirts/ties/pants hung, towels folded and put away...and his Minnesota Wild flag hung up. He is set and my job here is done!

So he is off and ready to go. School for him officially starts tomorrow; today he has some orientation activities as well as some workout plans with his hockey teammates.

It is bittersweet...I am so excited for him. This is such a great opportunity - he will get a great education and be able to play hockey. Yet, it is kind of sad...it is time for him to move to the next chapter in his life.

Well, on that note I will sign off. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa