While many families have to say a gradual succession of goodbyes to their children as they go off to college, for local parents Tim and Terri MacKinnon, it was their only child, Arielle, who flew the coup to study Musical Theatre at Briercrest College and Seminary.

Arielle's parents are now, classifiably, 'empty nesters'.

"It was her decision to go away to Briercrest," explained Rev. Tim MacKinnon. "We had talked with her over the last several years, [...] she knew she was ready to try being on her own for a while, so we're happy about that."

"Trying to gain some independence is a good thing for someone who's a young adult trying to sort of figure themselves out and make new relationships," he noted.

"Those are all really positive things, but now when there's nights that Terri and I are kind of alone and we're like, okay, now what?" he chuckled. "You know, there's that new, almost like we have to reinvent ourselves a little bit, too, so you know both those things are going on."

MacKinnon move in day was stressful, but Arielle immediately found people she knew from camp.

"Briercrest is an hour and forty minutes away, so it's not that far," he said, adding recently he was able to go for a visit.

"There was this musical theatre production going on, so I went up and took her out for lunch, we did some shopping, and then we went to this concert together."

"So we're close enough that we can do that, and she's actually planning to come home this weekend to, you know, do some laundry and see us."

He added at least she hasn't moved away to a bigger city in another province, where they could only see each other made for Christmas and other rare times.

The MacKinnons are looking forward to the few remaining summers they may also have with their daughter, but Tim noted they'll probably just ensure more time for the hobbies they arleady enjoy.