For The Sake Of Grandchildren

ThatManILove is out of town this week.  And I have our Little Brother and his little brother for the week, as their mom’s gone to a teacher conference in DFW.

After I dropped the boys at their respective venues, I called ThatManILove.  Here’s how that conversation went:

Me:  I’m enjoying these boys.  I miss when Brody was little, taking him to school, doing the breakfast thing, hanging out.

TMIL:  Well, we could always adopt a couple more kiddos.

Me:  Right.  And you’d come in the door one day, and, like you did with Zanna the Wonderpup,  say, “Jane.  Do you realize we’ve just signed on for a 13 year commitment with this pup?” ; except we know now the commitment would be 30 years plus!

TMIL:  Yeah, I guess you’re right.  But, babe - look at it this way– we might be a little closer to having grandkids if we went ahead and adopted children now and raised them up.

Me:  The way our boys are going, you’re probably right!

Not The Talk! ANYTHING But The Talk!!!

This week, Little Brother Geoffrey and his real little brother are staying with me while their mom attends a teacher conference in Fort Worth.  So far, so good. 

I say that because kiddos in your house, especially those that aren’t yours, are a different animal entirely.  Your own kids are raised and on their own and are out and about.  The empty nest syndrome is really, after all, a relief.  And then all of a sudden, you have an 11 year old and a 14 year old for the week.  And you can't give them back to their mom when she's 5 hours away for a week.

This afternoon brought it all home for me, via a simple text message.  I’m heading to pick Geoffrey up from his summer gifted/talented program.

Geoffrey:  Guess who got a girlfriend.  BTW, the bus is about to leave (Odessa).

Me:  You better be on it, and aloooonnnnnneeeee.

Geoffrey:  Ohno I missed it......(then this long drill down of multiple spaces)....JK.

Geoffrey:  She lives in Odessa.  Yeah, and I don’t think they would allow that.

Then, a pause.

Geoffrey:  Are you almost here?

Me:  On the way.

Geoffrey:  Am I gonna get "the talk"?

Oh, Lordy, I lost it.

Me, to him: Not on your best day, son.  Not even on your best day.  Mebbe so.

He cracks me up.

Where's That Energizer Bunny When I Need Him?

It’s been a busy month around our place.  The Backyard Project is moving along rather slowly - but it’s looking good.  My friends Susan and Monica have already placed new perennials and some annuals in the front flowerbeds, and they look beautiful.  I love love love LIVE flowers.

ThatManILove is working out in the field again, and he’s loving it out there.  The time off was treasured, as well, because he was able to take care of lots of things we’d been putting off.  I enjoyed having him around the house, and he was able to travel with me on business trips.  I miss him not being here every day and night.

Our API committee just finished hosting our umpteenth annual Scholarship Golf tournament. (I seriously do not know how long this tournament has been in existence - I do know that this is my 23rd year to work it.) We had 504 players, 2 days, 2 courses, plenty of cookers and game holes, ice cream, and fellowship.  Some of our scholarship recipients came and worked the tourney, and were just delightful to be around.  On Saturday, we played and worked in 110 degree heat.

I could describe that in a myriad of ways, but let me just say I’m glad it is over, and grateful it was such a success.  You have to have a committee, a team, to help dot every i and cross every t and drive that big ol’ bus.  There is a ton of delegation, a ton of hugs, a ton of sweat.  You gotta have sponsors.  You gotta have players.  And you have to have support on the course, not only with the golf course staff, but also, in the form of cookers, games, ice cream, water, and beer and all the people that make that stuff magically appear.  And it all has to flow seamlessly.  We received tons of compliments, and appreciation for all the hard work. 

The immediate winners are the students who benefit from the scholarships.   Some of them have just graduated high school.  Some have left college, started families, and have gone back to college.

The ultimate winners, however, are you and I.  We have not had one student fall out.  We’ve seen students hit a bump, then get back on the trail.  Many of them have graduated with honors, and are now working alongside us in the oil industry.  Some of them have gone on to be lawyers - doctors - accountants.

They are our future.  

And these students - each and every one of them -  make it all worthwhile.

Even in 110 degree heat.