Just a couple of days ago, Ann and I returned from North Carolina, where we had gone with Eric as he got set to begin college at the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. We spent a few days with Ann’s brother and a friend of ours, but in the end we were bidding farewell to our magnificent son and, it went better than I thought that it would considering how far away he was now going to be…which was just fine with me.

Not that this surprised me at all, but the way time flew by to reach this moment has always amazed me. Maybe its because I’m older, who knows but anyway, Eric is now a student and was even able to pull off getting a single dorm. Moving on, it was cool to see how the freshman were helped out moving in by a few current students who actually assisted us and others bringing stuff up to their dorm rooms. Each one of them of were outgoing individuals making small-talk with Eric, Ann, myself and other new students, I’d assume to make them feel more comfortable. I think that played a big part in him feeling confident that he could handle everything thrown his way over the next four years.

That and the fact that he had already been talking with a few people who would also be attending UNCSA in the months leading up to the day I am describing above. No lie, we couldn’t have been there more than 10 minutes before we saw Eric darting off to talk with a couple of people that he recognized from online chats Seeing this certainly settled down my nerves a bit, in regards to how he was going to handle life far away from home for the first time.

Ann and I did stay for a couple of hours after showing up with Eric to help out decorating his room when needed and also attended an orientation for all the acting majors beginning school

Though our final farewells to Eric were bittersweet, Ann and I were with that because that let us know that Eric was more than ready(and willing) to take on the vigors of the many challenges he would no doubt encounter. Go Fighting Pickles!!