Sunday, October 8, 2017

Sunday Funday

This was our big day to spend time with Caz.  It started in peculiar fashion.  Overnight, we slept through the worst of what started as Hurricane Nate.  By the time Nate reached us, it was a tropical depression.  It rained hard until noon.  It was a warm rain.  Not New England cold.  We lost power for a short time.  WiFi was knocked out all over Auburn.
     We took Caz out for lunch with his girlfriend.  We shopped for a raincoat.  We got to see his girlfriend's dorm.  It was very impressive.  It is newer and more spacious.  It costs a lot more too.
     Demi and I took Gizmo for a walk in the arboretum.  That was a nice time.  I liked sharing that with Demi.  I like seeing the expression in her face when exploring new places and enjoying them.  I hope Caz will do something similar with his special someone.
     We took Caz, his roommate, his girlfriend and his friends to dinner.  It was great seeing Coco interact with all the college kids.  Actually, it was great to see Coco and Caz interact on their own over the course of the weekend.  I think they missed each other.  They won't admit it but they did.  After dinner, it was hard to say goodbye after dinner.  To his credit, Caz was great.  He gave me a long hug and said, "I love you", right in front of his girlfriend.  No hesitation at all.  My boy is growing up.  And he is turning out well.
 

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Big Ole Miss

Game day!  My first trip into Jordan-Hare Stadium.  My first live viewing of the pre-game flight of the war eagle.  My first Auburn tailgate.  Lots of firsts.
     Caz actually got up early.  This was an odd kickoff time, 11 am CST.  He was a trooper.  His first text came in at 8:30.  We only got to see him briefly.  He has to be inside the stadium really early to get a good seat in the student section.  He took several pictures.  He was a good sport.
     What does one have at an early morning tailgate?  Cheese grits and shrimp of course.  Sausage and biscuits.  Bloody Mary's.  Great spread.  Those Southerners are so hospitable.  They know how to tailgate.  I had some great conversations with the hosts.  They all offered to be our "boots on the ground", in case Caz ran into an emergency.  It is nice to know there are people close by, who care.  It makes Caz being 1,200 miles from home, more comfortable for us.
     The game was good.  Auburn took Ole Miss to the woodshed.  The stadium is amazing.  I bet they can empty all 95k attendees faster than Fenway.  The largest coll he Jumbotron in the nation is impressive.  Seeing the pregame flight of the War Eagle was magnificent.  What a great tradition.  Definitely top 5 of all college football tradition.  Number 2 on my list.
     We could see Caz in the student section, across the stadium. He was very much into the game.  He knows all the Auburn cheers.  I hear him saying them to himself when he is laying around.
     We met his girlfriend's parents after the game.  We had a nice introductory chat.  We all meandered over to Toomer's corner for the rolling of the oaks.  That is another great Auburn tradition.      The students and families throw rolls of toilet paper over the branches of the legendary oak trees located in Toomer's corner.  It is quite a site.  We took a lot of pictures.
   What a great experience.  It is a memorable family event.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Family Weekend Auburn 2017

We got to see Caz tonight, for the first time since dropping him off in Alabama for college.  It was great to see him.  I have really missed him.  He was actually happy to see us too.  Especially, Gizmo. He was somewhat surprised to see her.  He was very excited to show her off to his new girlfriend.
     It was nice to meet Caz's girlfriend too.  She seems very nice.  Caz appears to be happy.  He is loving college.  It was warm and humid, even at 9 pm, well after dark.  Caz was in jeans.  My jeans actually.  I had been looking for those.  My one pair of dark jeans.  Anyway.  I digress.  The reunion was very nice.  He didn't rush us off either.  It was clear they had plans.  It's a Friday night in college. Of course, they have plans.  But he made an effort to see us.  We hadn't planned on seeing him until tomorrow.  This was a nice surprise,

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Sick Time

This is our first experience with Caz being sick in college and away from home.  There is not much we can do 1,200 miles away.  We can't bring him soup.  We can't take his temperature.  He has to take care of himself .  He has to get himself to the health center.
     I trust he will figure it out.  If he's hurting enough, he will seek help.  He will have to drag himself to the health center, no after how far from the dorm it is.  Sure, it tears at the heart strings a bit.  It's all apart of growing up.
     He ended up going for a check up.  He had an ear infection and seasonal allergies.  He was given 3 prescriptions.  He had to go to CVS to pick them up.  He had to handle the health insurance.  More opportunities to learn.
    Feel better soon, Son