Moving Michael to Messiah
Thursday Michael moved into his first residence hall at Messiah College. It’s amazing to me because though he has been taller than I for quite some time, he is doing something something grown up that we can share. In this process of his I’ve been remembering my college days, my five year reunion is next summer!!
I am so excited for my brother. I feel I have missed a lot, and it was important that I experience this transition. He seemed at home, he really fit in on the Messiah College campus. It’s in Grantham, Pennsylvania, in the middle of farm country but surrounded by other small towns. It’s peaceful. Emily was not able to go and Tim stayed home to drive Emily to work.
The rest of us packed his stuff and ourselves into the van and headed up Wednesday afternoon. It took about three hours because of traffic to get to our hotel in Carlisle. I’d hoped Sara Ellen would nap on the way but she fell asleep beforehand and woke up when I put her in the car. Thankfully she was well entertained by Michael and I. After checking in we got dinner at Red Lobster. We were quickly seated in the back corner but then forgotten for maybe twenty minutes before Mom asked after our server. As Dad feared, we’d been placed in the Twilight Zone. Every server thought we belonged to someone else. After that we got our food quickly and were offered free desserts. While waiting for others to finish, Sara Ellen checked out the lobsters. Employees took a couple out for her study. She fell asleep on the way home and woke only a few times during the night. Michael and I watched Wild Hogs on his laptop sharing his earphones.
Thursday Sara Ellen woke up bright-eyed at 7 AM. We headed to campus before 10 and Mom and Michael stood in line for check-in. The rest of us went outside, visited the bookstore, and walked around. All the building are made of brick but seem newer (in comparison with R-MWC). The campus is not large but we didn’t see all of it, mostly the residence halls and athletic/performance/aid buildings (#8 & 1 and up on this map). When Michael had finished his paperwork we headed to The Annex where he bought his books. Sara Ellen fell asleep while we waited and we headed to lunch. The dining hall is reasonably attractive; tiled and carpeted floor, wood furniture, windows on one short end. Food is served in a cafeteria set up which you enter and leave through brick archways. After checking on the very long id card line we moved him in to his new room in Naugle Residence. It’s a good size. There are two sets of metal bunk beds, and a wardrobe, dresser, and desk for each guy. Unloading didn’t take very long (he didn’t pack as much as I did), he didn’t unpack, and we met one roomate of three. Next was to get his laptop on the school network. Sara Ellen climbed up and down a flight of stairs while we waited, calling “Tiiim” or “come here please”, which she learned from me calling to Tim from upstairs. Back for more id card waiting. We sat in line and waited. Sara Ellen ran around and charmed other people. She and I walked back and forth to the bookstore. They had dvd’s for sale and I was checking out the Messiah apparel and dishware. I ended up getting The Devil Wears Prada and a coffee bowl, what Michael told me is actually called a latte cup because drinkers need more to make up for the lack of strength as found in coffee and espresso. Dad had gone off by himself and we met up in the bookstore and he followed me back to Mom and Michael. After 45 minutes he finally got a nice looking id card. We all headed to the student union. It was mostly empty. The bottom floor has The Union Cafe, lots of chairs, tables, booths, and some pool tables. Upstairs is Student Activities Board, WVMM, and lots of cushy couches and chairs. Michael went to his room to unpack and the parents staked out couches. Sara Ellen was not so tired and wanted to go up and down stairs. She needed a change so she and I walked to the van where my bag was, we’d already used the one extra diaper from Mom’s tote. We stayed in the van for a bit and when we returned to the Student Union, Mom and Dad had left. Very tired and hot, I decided to try the Dining Hall to maybe meet them for dinner. Michael found us and we met up inside. An outdoor dinner picnic was pushed inside by a rain prediction that didn’t happen until 9ish. We hung out in his room after dinner and met another roommate and his mother, and a floormate.
At 7 we joined all campus for a Candlelight Fellowship. It was awesome. They mixed contemporary and more traditional music with prayer and readings. I had been so tired and wanting to leave/rest but this woke me up. It woke up my soul and filled my heart and lifted my spirits. Corporate worship is incredible. It shows me what heaven will be like and makes me wish it would never stop, that I could leave behind everything and join with the people I love in worship. I have never been very good at private study. I love group singing and bible study. I never know where to start for personal time. After a long talk by the campus pastor and charges to parents, leaders, and students, we were asked to say good-bye and leave. When I was a first-year student this happened at 4pm, there wasn’t a campus wide fellowship. Of course we had to say good-bye, but it just seemed sudden. I wanted to tell Michael about my excitement for him but when it was my turn for a hug (and his raspberry on my forehead) my throat balled up and I couldn’t talk, not unusual for me in situations like this. Then my mother put her hand on my shoulder and ushered us away. We had a sniffling contest on the way to the car. Sara Ellen had fallen asleep during the service and slept until I took her out of the car at the hotel. We washed off dirt and sweat from the day, looked at photos (I wish I’d taken more) and watched some of Ocean’s Eleven before turning out the lights at 11pm.
We headed home Friday around 9am and drove through Pennsylvania farm country. It’s so pretty and peaceful. Sara Ellen was able to see cows and horses we pointed out. We drove through Westminster, Maryland and stopped at Panera Bread for drinks and pastries. Only then did we get on the highway, and soon after Sara Ellen fell asleep, only to wake and slide out of her seat on our arrival home.
Our lives are full of travel. Next weekend (after our 3rd anniversary) Tim heads to Norway for three weeks and Sara Ellen and I to Virginia for one week. My mother has also suggested Emily and I visit Michael on a weekend in September because Emily can’t visit the next weekend for Family Weekend. How different this fall with be. Michael away at school, Mom starts a part-time job at church, Emily working, and Tim hoping to travel more than this once. I am looking forward to something new myself, perhaps a new modern class. “Winds of Change”, the theme for Welcome Week at Messiah College.
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