Montana, Mariners and Moving

Wow! The time is just zipping by as we get ready to move Alex into the dorm at Eastern this Friday. We've tried to squeeze in a few fun outings before he leaves. I have the feeling he will never totally move back into the house and I'm trying hard not to be sad about that. He and some friends are making plans for next summer to all move into a house in northeast Spokane. He's been spending a lot of time there this summer and looks forward to sharing the ultimate bachelor pad with three other guys. He has matured so much this summer that I know he can handle the responsibility. I feel like I've trained him well - he's the one that cleans up and does dishes! :)

He and I took a little road trip to Montana so he could spend some time with his Grandma and Grandpa Jones and see all the aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a good time! We stopped off in Missoula for lunch and a little shopping, then spent three days in Helena with all the family. It was so great that we got to see EVERYONE and even shared in a birthday celebration for Sandy. We will both have happy memories of our Mother-Son road trip.

To cap off the last days of summer, we made an overnighter trip to Seattle. We took in a Mariners game at Safeco Field. It rained so the roof was closed and they lost, but we ate garlic fries and hot dogs and had a grand time! Keith and Alex analyzed the game from start to finish like they always do when it comes to baseball. We spent the night and shopped Ikea for last minute dorm items.

With all of this recent car time, we've had some really neat conversations. Alex is looking forward to this next phase in his life and that helps us to feel better about letting go. If we get lucky, he will end up living in the area like his sister. We can hope, anyway!