Move-In Day

For anybody who has not moved into a boarding school or residential college, let me start by saying that it is  a LOOOONG day!  Here is my family and me at my aunt and uncle's house about 4 hours from our home in Jacksonville with my mom's car that was loaded.  We were lucky to fit inside the car-the "stuff" took up so much space!

We left Tuesday around 2:45, drove to Palm Beach Gardens, and then woke up at 5:30 on Wednesday to head into Miami for check-in.  Luckily it was not too crowded when we got here-a few hours later the lines for the elevator were insane, the temperatures shot up, and apparently the school ran out of moving carts*.
   *The moving carts were like those hotel laundry carts that you typically see in movies.  You    loaded it up with as much stuff as possible and then the school loaded it onto a moving truck that followed your shuttle bus to the dorm.

A few hours later, side B was finished with pink and blue decorations and a newly built futon (thanks, Dad!).  We checked in for orientation, picked up my Cane Card (student ID), and then decided to get something to eat.  After lunch in the Target food court, we shopped in Target at the Dadeland Station.  The only way I know to explain this mall is like North Hills in Raleigh.  There were about 5 floors, each with a different store i.e. Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc. and a parking garage.

Target, while not unfamiliar, brought a new experience.  This one, unlike mine at home, was bilingual, on the third floor of a building, and almost everyone there was a college student.  According to our cashier, the Dadeland Station Target is the busiest Target in the United States!

Back in the dorms, we met my roommate Jenna, who I met online via a roommate match system through the University.  With her, the room was complete!  What a pretty successful day!  My parents and I met my grandparents for a legacy student function and then went to eat at Versailles, our favorite Cuban restaurant, before dropping me off at the dorm to spend the night.  Jenna and I were up past midnight talking but then we both crashed.  Move-in day was a success, and I cannot wait for orientation to begin tonight!