Mom's Weekend 2009

I checked the status of my red eye flight before leaving my home in Fairbanks. The Alaska Air website had a travel advisory on the Mt. Redoubt volcano eruption. The volcano was calm and quiet on April Fool's Day and Flight 128 was scheduled to depart on time.

I am headed to Pullman, Washington for my fourth and final Mom's Weekend at Washington State University. Mom's weekend is a time-honored tradition where Washington State students honor their moms while enjoying activities and events. My daughters Amanda and Melissa are seniors at WSU. Amanda is an Interior Architecture major and Melissa is Zoology major.

As the Dash 8 prepares to land in Pullman the winds are gusting to 30 knots. I take full yoga breaths and talk myself through the landing. The Dash 8 touches down hard on the asphalt wobbling in the gusty crosswinds. The pilot brakes hard and the plane finally comes to a stop. I am relieved when I unbuckle my seat belt and the flight attendant opens the cabin door. I gather my composure and my luggage off the a la carte and head to the terminal. I spot the white FJ62 with Alaska plates. I am thrilled Amanda and Melissa are waiting for me.

My daughters have changed since Christmas break. Amanda and Melissa have emerged as confident young women prepared to conquer the world with their lofty goals and ambition. They talk non-stop as we drive to Maple Valley apartment. As we drag my bags up three flights of stairs, I am reminded of a well-meaning mom that told me the third floor is the safest floor in apartments for daughters. The apartment is cozy with creative clutter from their school projects.

We head to a local restaurant, Swilly's, for lunch. Amanda and Melissa’s eyes light up as they scan the menu. There is real food on the menu not just their college staples: milk and cereal. I order the Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with feta mayonnaise once a year at Mom's Weekend. The lively chatter of moms and college students catching up echoes throughout the room, and laughter and smiles abound. This moment is bitter sweet, as it seems as though the past four years have been on fast forward. I feel a tinge of sadness as their college journey is ending.

I scan my checklist for their May 9th commencement ceremony Amanda and Melissa are prepared and have completed every item on the list I emailed them. Suddenly their eyes are darting toward their laps. I do not believe my daughters are texting. I look around the restaurant and see the majority of the college student’s texting. Texting is the new talking. Times have changed!

Amanda and Melissa are dedicated college students and refuse to skip class.
I drive back to the apartment to do laundry until they finish classes. They have mountains of laundry. I wonder where they found clean clothes to wear today. After classes, I meet them at the newly remodeled Compton Union Building, or the CUB as it is commonly known at WSU. Amanda, an interior architecture major, is excited to show me her design contributions to the new CUB. She shows me her design portfolio filled with Revit sketches, computer and hand renderings, and explorations on lighting. The Compton Union Building is undoubtedly the heart of student engagement and culture on campus. In front of the CUB, the chilly rain has turned to a wet spring snow. The snowflakes stick on the screen of my digital camera as I attempt to capture every moment of Mom’s Weekend.

Another tradition during Mom’s Weekend is to shop at the local Crimson and Gray store for Washington State Cougar gear. Students love their moms to buy Cougar t-shirts, hoodies, and yoga pants. The entire town of Pullman is decked out in crimson and gray screaming with Cougar pride. We head to the tiny Pullman-Moscow Airport. Melissa is working toward her private pilot certificate and wants to show me the Cessna 152 she soloed in on March 18. She has 38.7 hours and proudly flips open her digital logbook on her laptop.

The skies are blue and the sun is brilliant. We attend the annual banquet for the Cougar Cattle Feeders, Melissa’s club. The Cougar Cattle Feeders are a group of undergraduate students, who have a strong interest in the beef industry. Each year 10-15 students are selected to participate in this intensive program. Students in consultation with advisors are responsible for all aspects of feeding, caring and management of both donated and custom fed animals.

WSU campus has 22,000 students. Parents take graduation pictures during Mom’s Weekend at popular landmarks on campus. Attempting to take photos on graduation day is like rush hour traffic on Seattle’s I-5. The girls don their black caps and gowns. They attempt to scrunch their mortarboards with crimson tassels on their heads. I think their jeans are too casual peaking out from their gowns; however, Melissa assures me that we can easily Photoshop the jeans black. We savor the sunshine and warm weather as we take time for candid shots. The girls are laughing and enjoying our photo shoot on campus.

After pictures, we stroll over to the WSU Creamery home of Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe, and the award winning Cougar Gold Cheese. The variety of ice cream flavors is tempting and we are ready for a treat before our evening concert.

Mom’s Weekend 2009 features “Huey Lewis and the News” in concert at the Beasley Coliseum. I tell my daughters the group’s contagious brand of rock and roll has outlasted countless trends. The group was formed by two rival Bay Area bands in 1969. My daughters have never heard of Huey Lewis and the News. Rows of mothers pack the Coliseum who remember the song, “The Power of Love.” The usher takes us to our seats seven rows from the stage. My daughters and I are enjoying two hours of solid rock and roll. After an encore, we file out of the Coliseum and head to our car for the drive back to the apartment.

We arrive at Maple Valley Apartments energized by the entire day. We stay up all night reminiscing about the girls’ childhood. As the drowsiness ensues, we reluctantly call it a night as we have one last day in Pullman.

One last task remains, shopping for groceries to stock Amanda and Melissa’s pantry. We hit the produce section, and the shopping cart is soon filled with snap peas, red and green peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, pink lady apples, bananas, strawberries, and raspberries. The prices do not even faze me compared to Alaska grocery prices. As we stroll up and down the aisles, the girls grab their favorite snacks. They gaze at the meat and chicken counter and are thrilled when I say, “buy whatever you want.” They deserve healthy food to fuel their bodies the last month of school. I feel at ease leaving my daughters stocked with food and after such a great Mom’s Weekend together.

Leaving is never the same experience as arriving. I hug Amanda and Melissa and bury my face in their hoodies. As I pull away I say, “See you at graduation in May.” This entire weekend has been a celebration of Amanda and Melissa’s success as college students. A friend once told me never to think of this season of life as the empty nest but as the freedom to fly. I hope I have wind beneath my wings to fly.