Friends Reunion (Dragons Style)

 Caz had a really nice run this weekend.  He got to see a lot of his old high school friends.  That designation seems odd to me really.  Some of those guys he has known since before kindergarten.  Whatever they are, they are still good friends.  I am glad he got to see them.  He actually went out right after we got back from the airport on Friday night.  Saturday he got to have a farewell breakfast for Dix, who is off to active duty in CA for more training.  Caz also got to attend a college graduation party for another friend.  Sunday was more of the same.  And all his friends got to congratulate him on his recent graduation.  

Caz Comes Home (MA) '21

 Caz flew in late tonight.  It is nice to have him in MA.  He hasn't been here since New Years.  We set up his room earlier this summer.  I can't wait to see his face when he looks at the room.  Hope he likes it.  I am looking forward to having him here for a bit and to spending time with him.

FDOC USC '21

 First day of classes for Gamecock Nation!  Coco starts Junior year.  He is officially an upperclassman now.  He is excited for his classes.  That is a great sign.  Go crush it, kid.  You got this.  

Back to USC 2021

 One son comes home.  One son leaves home.  It is back to college time.  This year, it is back to one child heading back.  Even though we have done this before, it still seems strange.  

Coco drove up back to Columbia, SC today.  Classes for the University of South Carolina do not start for a few more days but he wanted to get settled back into his off-campus apartment.  I tried to stock him up at Walmart but he really did not think he needed much.  We ate a nice lunch at The Southern Belly.  Coco played it nicely by ordering the Wookie.  That sandwich, besides being awesome, is double meat.  That means two meals for him.  Well played!  It feels different dropping him off an hour and forty minutes away, than an hour plus drive and a plane ride.  I still feel sad when he goes.  I know he is where he should be, but I miss him already.  Good luck, Coco!

Friday the 13th - Boys Week Update

 We seem to have weathered the worst of the storm.  Coco and I both tested negative.  Demi tested negative in MA.  Caz is just bed sore from being restricted in his movement.  The farthest he has traveled is next to his room, to the bathroom.  He didn't really seem to mind but I am sure he was going stir crazy.

Finally, I had been able to grocery shop.  I stocked up the supplies as best I could.  i consulted Caz about what he might need after I left to return to MA.  

I got to spend a lot of quality time with Coco.  Some one on one time, is always appreciated.  Coco was good about it too.  He was willing and got into the spirit of Father/Son bonding time.  Yes, we spent quite a bit of it watching movies or general TV.  However, we had a lot of healthy dialogue too.  We reminisced over highlights and tributes centered on Bobby Bowden.  Coco is an avid student of history in general, but particularly sports history.  We discussed current events.  And we watched some quality entertainment.  I furthered his important (pop) cultural literacy by watching Midnight Run.  What a classic movie.  

We all made the best of the circumstances.  And we realized how lucky we are.  We are still more fortunate that a lot of people during these times.  It is not lost on any of us.

Boys Week in CHS - POSTPONED

 Today was supposed to be Day One of boys week in Charleston.  It was over before it began.  I was just logging into work, when Caz came down to the kitchen.  I thought he was up earlier than normal.  He said he didn't feel great and his ear hurt.  Being prone to ear infections, he decided, on his own, to go to Urgent Care to be checked out.

About an hour and a half after Caz left, he called.  He called from the parking lot.  He tested negative for strep. His ear didn't appear infected.  The other shoe dropped.  He tested positive for COVID.

That information took a moment to process in my brain.  That process felt longer, than it lasted.  Caz is smart.  He called from the parking lot on purpose.  We made a plan.  I clean and disinfected the house.  He came in wearing a mask.  He went to a dedicated bedroom.  I had created a dedicated bathroom for him.  I informed Coco what was going on.  We all hunkered down for the long haul of isolation and quarrantine.

War Eagle Graduation

 Happy Graduation Caz!  Most of what I have to write had been said, written in cards, written in letters and written in journals. This milestone is too momentous to let pass here.  I started this blog as something for you and your brother to read in years to come. It was inspired by you two.  Becoming a father is why I starting writing this.  It is what I had wanted.  It wasn't long after I graduated college, that I knew this is what I wanted.  I didn't want a career to speak of.  Work wasn't going to fulfill my heart.  This is what I knew in my heart of hearts, that I wanted.  And it's been more wonderful than I could have ever dreamed.  

I suspect it is different for you.  You knew what you wanted to go to college for.  You knew you wanted to be an engineer.  I feel like you know where your life is headed.  Work will guide your next path.  And that is great.  That's not to say you won't have a family or be a father.  But you feel about your chose field of study, a calling of sorts.  It will be fun for me to watch what comes.  It will be exciting to see what you do with this degree.  The Sam Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.  That is impressive.  That should bring all kinds of exciting opportunities for you.  Seize them when the come.  Of course you have don't that since leaving high school, so I am not sure why I feel I need to tell you that.  

Demi and I are so proud of you.  I suspect Coco is too.  He might even tell you that himself.  :)