This past weekend was the great college pick-up of 2022. I’ve been doing the college pick-up thing since 2016, so I should have it downpat… but I am still as clumsy and graceless as the first round. Tessa and Tayden both go to school in Indianapolis, so it should be easier just for that, right? Well, not really because they started school a week or more apart, so I dropped them off separately, which means they each have too much stuff for just one trip. Ugh! And Travis had to lecture in Illinois, so he couldn’t help. And both kids had to be out on the same day. 

It was starting to look like I would have to drive back and forth to Indianapolis twice in one day (2 ½ hours each way with no complications, but there are always complications). And I would have to unload Bert (the SUV of questionable origin) in between. Or, I could attach our trailer or rent a u-Haul, but rain was in the forecast, and I am not great with trailers in the best of weather. In the rain, in the city? No way!! But then, I had an epiphany. If I could drop off the couch in Tessa’s room at Trent’s future roommate’s apartment, then I wouldn’t need to bring it home, which just might free up enough space to complete the pick-up in one trip with Bert and Goff (the car Tessa had at school). I pitched the idea to Trent, who was skeptical. Then, I threatened to remove my assistance on his upcoming move, and he instantly became less skeptical. So we set that up. 

However, the day before the pick-up, I requested the address and let Trent know that I should be there with the couch around 3:30 to 4, which was previously in the acceptable time window of “before 5pm.” Except, now it wasn’t in the new acceptable time window, since Trent’s friend was going to the Kentucky Derby, and was planning to leave at 2pm. But I couldn’t make 2pm, because I had a hair appointment, which would have been okay to cancel earlier, but not at 6pm the day before. Besides, my hair stylist isn’t taking new clients and I can’t afford to piss her off. It took me too long to find her and she has less to lose by cutting me loose than I do. I am not sure if the original plan included the Kentucky Derby or not, but the new plan included it. Since I was relying on two mid-twenties men to communicate the intricacies of the exchange, I can’t be sure when the breakdown occurred. 

Then, I had another epiphany. Tessa could drive to pick up the keys from Trent’s friend… if he has a spare set of keys. He didn’t have a spare on him, but the friend that he was going to the Kentucky Derby with had his spare pair. SCORE! Now Tessa just needed to take an hour break during the last-minute packing frenzie to collect the keys, which we would use to drop off the couch, then we would drop the keys off at the management office of the apartment complex for the future roomie to collect after his Derby trip. Of course the key pick-up would be an hour because Tessa’s school is on the southeast side of Indianapolis and Trent’s future apartment is on the northwest. 

But here’s the amazing truth! It worked! She picked up the key, and we dropped off the couch. The whole process of moving them was clumsy, partly because Tessa was staying in Indianapolis with her boyfriend Nick’s family to attend a party, so we were juggling cars and stuff, with three cars making the trip to Tayden’s campus (also on the northwest side of Indy). Tessa lived on the third floor and Tayden lived on the fourth floor and elevators were hard to come by (and WAY out of the way), so I walked a LOT of stairs. When we got home, it was after 10pm and I was exhausted, so we didn’t empty the cars. We had company the next day, so we didn’t empty the cars on Saturday either. We had to clean the garage to make space for the influx of stuff so we emptied the cars Sunday night. Travis had to get the boat with Bert filled to the gills Saturday morning, and the boat storage guy actually questioned Travis’ priorities, since he appeared to be living in his car, but had a boat. I wish Travis had played that off! What stories boat guy would have had! 

The kids are home. The stuff is in the garage. All is well. Hope you have a great week!