But in reality ...

Sunday was Take Willie Back to College Day.

Here's how I planned the day:

10:00 Willie and I would leave for Christopher Newport University (CNU), unpack the car and inspect the house where Willie will live to determine what item(s) he needed to make it through the school year successfully.

10:45 Willie and I would shop for a couple of hours. Based on what Willie had originally guessed he might need, I expected to shop at Target, (school supplies and toiletries), Bed Bath & Beyond (kitchen items), and Costco (food and drinks for all).

12:00 The rest of the family, Gary, Andy & Kayti, would then join us for a tour of the house and a nice lunch out somewhere in Newport News.

1:30 We'd all hug (and cry a little) and wave good-bye. We'd hit the road and travel via I-64 and I-95 for the usual 3 hours.

4:30 We'd be home ... all of us except Willie.

Here's how the day went:

10:00 Willie and I drove in his car to CNU. After he alerted his housemates that a mom was about to enter the house, we unpacked his car by stacking all of his things in the living room of the house. No one knew who was gong in what room yet. We looked through the kitchen cabinets, but no one was sure what was needed ... except a french coffee press would be nice.

10:35 Willie and I went to Target and got coffee and a coffee press. He said he'd rather get everything on his own later. We stepped into Bed Bath & Beyond to see if they had any cheap coffee mugs (nope).

11:15 Willie suggested I call Gary to see when they'd arrive. Gary said they would meet us at the house in 10 minutes.

11:30 Willie showed the family the house. We hugged the boy and waved good-bye.

11:50 We hit the road. The traffic was awful on the interstate, so we ended up coming home via quaint little Route 17 ... at least we were moving.

4:30 We were home ... all of us except Willie.

Monday was Take Andy Back to College Day. It went exactly as planned.