Greetings from Irving, Texas!

Well, we got here safely. The flight went well. I was nervous as expected. I really don't know how I am going to have the gumption to fly back by myself. I guess I'll manage somehow. I am just a scaredy-cat, no two ways about it! Then for the first time in my life I got a rental car. And then I drove around Irving Texas. Did I mention that I am a nervous driver? And also not a very good driver? But I got us here to the hotel. We ate lunch at a yummy Mexican restaurant called Papasitos recommended by the lady at the front desk. We actually went into Dallas for that.

Irving Texas is ugly, I hate to say it. It reminds me a lot of Loudoun County in the way they are building it up except that the countryside isn't as pretty. It is hot and polluted today. Of course it is hot and polluted back home too! I did notice that the birds outside the restaurant window were different from the ones back East. And I love the Mexican influence on the architecture. That's different. Driving up and down Route 114 is nerve-wracking to say the least!

Anyway, after lunch we went to the University of Dallas campus and walked around a bit. She saw two kids she already knows! Man, when I went to college I did not know one single person. I was so scared and lonely. Hannah won't have that experience. Her dorm room looks like a prison cell though. Will's dorm at Berklee was nicer. The room is small with not much storage. The bathrooms down the hall are pretty bad too. However, there was a nice lounge area and kitchen and a nice study area. Plus her best friend will be across the hall from her and they have the one bigger double room. There's enough room in it for a little living room area. I can predict that that will become the room to hang out in.

We went to the bookstore and Hannah bought all her books used. Only paid $426 for all of them! That's pretty darn good. Then we found our way to a Starbucks to see how much the coffee grinders were with her 30% discount but it was still over $100! Since Hannah is paying for all this stuff from her savings, she gave up that idea. I think she is going to try to buy one at the Walmart tomorrow. She really hasn't been feeling well, so now she's lying down.

Tomorrow we'll go to the orientation at 9:00 a.m. Then we have to pick up her roommate from the Airport at 11:30 or something like that (gotta check). Then we'll hit the Walmart. I know there is parent orientation going on too. I don't know how much of that I'll be doing. I hate having to make small talk with strangers, though I might actually be acquainted with a couple of other students' parents.

Now I'm going to look through Hannah's books. I was oohing and ahhing over them earlier.