Marcus and I have just returned from Chicago, where we moved Alex into her new dorm for her sophomore year of university. The truth is that Alex likely could’ve moved herself into the dorm, but we wanted to maximize our time with her. And I’ll admit: given the ridonkulous heat that we’ve been experiencing here in Houston this summer, Marcus and I were really looking forward to the more humane temperatures of the north. Thankfully, Chicago didn’t disappoint — the weather was perfect while we were there.

So Alex is all moved in and we said goodbye, and you know what? Moving her in was harder this year than last. I think last year when she was leaving home for the first time, I could dupe myself into believing that she wasn’t so much “leaving home” as she was “going off to camp” just like she’d done so many times before, albeit for a far shorter time. But it worked: after all, when your kid goes to camp, they come back home, right? And in May, she did!

Of course, I hadn’t reckoned that after a few months home and a couple of fun vacations, she’d be going back.

Still, her new dorm is lovely — it’s an apartment, really, shared with three other young women. She has a private room, which she’s grateful for. She has already reconnected with friends from last year and is beginning to look forward to her semester ahead. School doesn’t start for another week, so she has some time to acclimate. And again, Chicago is in the middle of its lovely weather time right now, so Lake Michigan is beautiful and there are all sorts of festivals to enjoy and it’s all good. Her year 2 adventure begins.

As for us, we landed in 108°F weather back in Houston yesterday.

Today, the house felt quiet.

But our year 2 adventure begins, too.