I'm a "Helicopter" Parent, WCCUSD Style!!!

I JUST got in from a full day with Courtney, Susan, Cynthia, and Madeline after checking in all of the girls into their Penn program and into their rooms. After a little incident with Cynthia's luggage and her need (and mine) for new suitcases, then taking Cynthia's luggage up two flights of stairs, and then taking Courtney's BIG suitcase up FOUR flights of stairs in the lovely East Coast humidity, all is still well at PENN! It's all in a day's work on move-in day.
The day started with a wonderful breakfast with the girls at Madeline's hotel. We then came back to my hotel to check the girls out, McGyvered Cynthia's suitcase into mine, and then we all walked over to the Quad at Penn for check-in. Cynthia and Courtney are in E.F. Smith and Susan is at Wilson. Susan and Cynthia both have doubles and Courtney has a single!!! Most students in college would kill for a single. The rooms are pretty cool because they have two closets and a sink in the room. Plus, they all get to look out into the awesome quad that's created by the cool old buildings at PENN. Susan has a video clip of her room and is going to post it.
After getting the girls semi-settled into their rooms, we went shopping for dorm room essentials at the Penn bookstore, which is right next door to Madeline's hotel!! Cynthia's roommate, Michelle, also came along with us. She's really cool and is from Jericho, Long Island, I think, but I do know it's pretty close to where Madeline grew up. Then again, everything over here is pretty close to everything else. The East Coast is very different from California.
I have to admit that I did feel like a helicopter parent while Madeline and I were with the girls at the bookstore shopping. Of course, we are a totally different kind of family that is representative of what makes WCCUSD so beautiful! We're a group of diverse, strong, intelligent, and opinionated women who have spent all afternoon laughing and cracking up at one great adventure after another on our first real day at PENN.
As soon as I'm done posting this, we're going to an orientation dinner with all of the students and parents, and then our orientation begins. It's a long orientation because they have to cover all of the things the students are going to be doing all month besides classes, like go see Les Mis and Mama Mia, go to the Jersey shore, D.C., NYC, baseball games, movies, Liberty Bell, and many more outings. Luckily, I get to tag along!! The orientation will go until 9:45am, but at least it ends with a serving of cookies and milk! Then the students go to their rooms and get ready for the first day of classes tomorrow. We all meet at 8:30am for breakfast then walk together to class at 9am. Madeline and I are going to sit in on the morning classes and meet the professors! Enough of my writing for now. I'm sure there will be more to write after orientation.
Signing out, Patty