Al Roker celebrated his 69th birthday on August 20 – and it will certainly be one he won't forget as it was overshadowed by a bittersweet goodbye.
The Today star has been documenting his laughter-filled summer with his son, Nick, on social media over the last few months. However, on Sunday he spent his birthday driving the 19-year-old back to college in Vermont with his wife, Deborah Roberts.
While he was overjoyed to have celebrated with his family before Nick's departure, it was no doubt an emotional moment when the couple said their goodbyes as they would be returning to an empty home.
Al documented their final moments together with a sweet photo of the trio beaming for the camera, with Nick affectionately wrapping his arm around his dad's shoulders. "Back to the #emptynest after dropping our young man at college for sophomore year," he captioned the family snapshot.
His followers were quick to react and offer words of encouragement and support, with one responding: "How wonderful you were able to spend your birthday with him! You and your wonderful wife are AMAZING role models!" A second said: "Always a long ride home for the parents! Have a great year Nick!"
A third added: "Always so bittersweet." A fourth penned: "You birds look like you will be just fine with your empty nest. And your birdie – he will fly high."
Al and Deborah dropped Nick off at college last year and shared the emotional moment on Instagram. "Wednesday wonder. After all the hard work. All the discipline. All the dreaming. All the prayers. His moment to soar has come. (I'm not crying. I promise.)," Deborah captioned a photo of her, Al, and Nick in front of a packed car trunk.
"Pride doesn't even begin to describe this day Nick Roker. The journey continues," she added. The news was made even more special since Nick, who is the youngest of Al's three children, is "somewhere on the (autism) spectrum and maybe obsessive-compulsive," the TV star previously told Guideposts magazine.
At the time, Al added: "But those labels can be frustrating; they don't begin to describe who Nick really is." Al doesn't deny it can sometimes be hard, but he is continuously admiring his youngest child. "Do I get frustrated with my son sometimes? You bet," Al admitted.
"But then I remember my dad, how understanding he was. And Deborah reminds me that I have to show my son not only that I love him but that I like him as well. More than that, I admire him."
It's certainly been an exciting year for Al and his family, as he recently became a first-time grandfather when his oldest child, Courtney, 33, who he shares with ex-wife Alice Bell, welcomed her first child with husband Wes Laga.
They welcomed a baby girl, Sky Clara Laga, on July 3. The happy news was announced live on Today, with Al passing along the message via video link to his co-stars in the studio, telling them that everyone was doing well and the family "couldn't be happier."
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