Playing Catch Up: Go Hawkeyes

After a college applications process that felt more like a nauseating rollercoaster ride than an effort to gain access to an institute of higher learning, Will decided to attend the University of Iowa to study biomedical engineering. 

While Tom and I didn't push Will toward the University of Iowa, when he made his decision we found ourselves looking forward to having both another Hawkeye in the family and a reason to visit our old stomping grounds more frequently. 

Interestingly, while we've seen Will a number of times since he started college, I haven't been there a single time and Tom has only been there once since we dropped him off. Last fall, he flew home in October for a disc golf tournament, we watched him play two soccer games in Chicago, we saw him in Madison for Thanksgiving, he flew home for The Nutcracker, and then he came home for a wonderfully long winter break. A couple of weeks ago, Tom drove up north to see his family and then road-tripped back to College Station with Will for spring break. We may see him another time at a destination other than Iowa City for soccer games and we're hoping to attend a concert of his on campus, but then the semester will be over. Realizing he's less than two months away from finishing his first year of college is mind-blowing.

He's enjoyed (most of) and done well in his classes, and is starting to look into tutoring/TA positions for the future. He's happy to have found a way to continue playing fairly competitive soccer and figured out how to get to all of the local disc golf courses. (He doesn't have his car at school because of the less-than-ideal parking situation on campus.) He loves the world of intramural sports, through which he has played soccer, futsal, volleyball, flag football, spikeball, and ping pong. He's tried - and continues to attend gatherings for - many different clubs and activities: debate club, roller skating, bingo, and trivia, board game, and movie nights, to name a few. After watching Hallie and friends in Hadestown in January, he returned to college inspired, practiced for a week, and tried out for the men's acapella group...and made it. Singing in a choir - especially an acapella one - is WAY outside of Will's comfort zone but he's had a lot of fun and has enjoyed connecting with Hallie over this shared interest.

It's impossible to know, when choosing a college, university, or post-high school path, if you are - or your child is - making the right decision. I'm grateful it seems like Will has found where he's supposed to be, at least for now.

Here's a glimpse into his first year at the University of Iowa:

Go Hawks!

Playing Catch Up: The Last One

Last year Will's club soccer team qualified for the National Cup Finals, held every summer in Denver, Colorado. We knew as soon as the boys received their bid that we would go - one final club soccer hurrah for Will as a player and for the rest of us as fans, alongside the opportunity for one final family road trip before Will headed off to college.

While the boys didn't have the tournament they'd hoped for, none of us regretted making the trip. Will played well and the three of us loved cheering for him from the sidelines, plus we had many memorable hours on the road, enjoyed time with our soccer friends while in Denver, played a couple of beautiful disc golf courses outside of Denver, and spent an afternoon hiking at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs on our way home. A part of me wished we could have stayed in Denver longer - our trip was relatively short and the time we spent there was jam packed - but another part of me felt ready to go...Will's departure was quickly approaching and I needed to get home to begin the process of preparing for his move to Iowa. 

My apologies these aren't in any kind of order. Somehow their dates were erased so "post in chronological order" wasn't an option...

Watching Will walk off the field at the end of his final high school soccer season nearly broke my heart. Despite the fact that they made it to the Elite Eight - farther than any team in school history - it felt like the season ended too soon...we just weren't ready. 

Watching Will walk off the field at the end of his club soccer season felt different. My heart was breaking, yes. But I felt closure I hadn't felt a couple of months earlier. He was ready. I was ready. And so we said goodbye.