Planes, Trains and Cancellations

Cameron graduated on Friday night.  On Sunday she left on a graduation trip with her good friend Brian.  This trip was planned in January....before she signed a lease on an apartment with a move-in date of May 23....and before her friend/boy Blake became her boy/friend Blake.  This is a trip she planned with Brian and it's what she wanted to do before heading in to grown up land.  

She and Brian would fly to Chicago then take Amtrak to Seattle and fly home from there. They booked a sleeper car for the 2 day trip on the train.  All reservations were made.  And paid for.  Even hotels were booked on either end.  All was good to go.

Until Sunday.  Four hours before they were to go to the airport. Brian had had a little trouble and was maybe going to have to cancel. It had been back and forth.....on then off then on again all morning.  But when we left the house to take our oldest, Jordan, to the airport it was looking like it was back on for Brian.

Chuck, Jordan, Will and I decided to pull through Sonic's drive-through to grab lunch to eat in the car. 

While waiting for our food...

Cameron texted Will:  Brian can't go.  You're going with me.

The next 20 minutes were a little hairy.  All 4 of us were yelling out over each other. Brainstorming, if you will.  In the drive-through lane...waiting for our food. 

All of the statements below were said OUT LOUD over each other.

Will:  I can't go. 

Chuck:  Why can't you go? 

Me:  Will can go.  Will you can go.  You don't have to work next week.  We'll have to take him home as soon as we get our food.

Will: I can't go.......I have training for my job this week.

Me:  (looking at my watch)We can't be late getting Jordan to Hobby Airport.

Jordan:  She just needs to cancel.

Me:  When?

Will:  Friday. But I have to do online training, too...and that drug test.....

Jordan:  What airline are they flying?

Chuck:  Can't you miss it?

Me:  Will, can't you tell them it was a surprise trip?  Besides you've worked there before....maybe they'll understand.

Me:  Jordan, look up the return policy on Amtrak!

Chuck:  She just needs to cancel.

Me:  Chuck,  she can't go alone.  No way I'm letting her go alone.  Will, no just tell them the truth.  Just tell the truth.  Tell them what happened.....they'll understand.

Chuck:  Will you have to go. 

Jordan:  What airline is it?

Chuck:  Southwest.

Me:  Well, if he can't go and I sure can't go....she can't go alone.  Blake starts his job this week......he can't go.  Cameron just needs to cancel this trip.  It was bad timing anyway.  She's moving in her apartment on Monday and she hasn't even begun to pack......blah...blah....blah.....

Will:  What will I do about my training?  And my drug test I have to have before Saturday?

Jordan:  She's flying Southwest.  You can apply it to another time or place if you cancel. That's why I love Southwest. 

Me:  Will, can't you call somebody at work and tell them this came up?

Will:  No.  I don't know who I would call.  It's Sunday.

Me:  How much were the tickets?  Chuck you may have to pay for the tickets.  Will, you can take your laptop and do the online courses on the train.

Jordan:  (reading the Amtrak refund policy off their site out

loud to us)

Me:  Chuck we would have to get Will some spending money.

Me:  Will, the minute you step in the house you have to start your laundry!

Jordan:  I love Southwest.

Chuck:  Does anybody have any cash? 

 I don't have any tip money. 

Food comes.  It's 1:19 p.m.

We head back home.  Chuck runs in.  Will's behind him.  Jordan and I wait in the car.  In suspense.

One minute later, they come back out.

Me:  What happened?

Chuck:  Brian can go now.

That was the loudest, craziest 20 minutes.  I was exhausted from it. I won't divulge Brian's reason for not being able to go for that off and on period of time.....but let's just say, his mother was very put out with him and it all worked out. 

Take a deep breath.  Head to Hobby to drop Jordan off....on time.

Trying to come down from the adrenaline rush.

No talking.  Just eating.

Then......

Will:  Where was I going anyway?

A few pictures of Cameron and Brian on their adventure.

They were going to try to spend the night in baggage claim...

  Only the young would even attempt that.  Or the very, very cheap.
Not that I'm calling Cameron young and cheap....

 At some point, they gave up and got a hotel room. 
Good call.

Cameron...all aboard the train for the last trip before Grown Up Land.

 Sunset in Minnesota...viewed from the dining car

 A reflection of their dinner table in the window

The middle of seemingly nowhere...according to Cameron

Brian....a very happy traveler

Stretch Break

Sleeper car

Two chairs facing each other during the day, fold down to make the lower bed. 

The upper bunk folds down from the upper wall. 

A map of the train location this afternoon. 

Final stop, Seattle......tomorrow.

So glad Brian got to go. 

For more reasons than one.

Like Math But Louder

 On Friday afternoon we headed 75 miles northwest from here to a big little town called College Station...home of Texas A&M and the fighting Texas Aggies.
  Our second child became an alumni of Texas A&M on Friday evening.
  It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise and definitely one of those lifetime milestones. 

My face hurts from grinning all weekend.
 I had all 3 of my children at home and it was loud and good.
 And I felt like my chest was bowed out from the proudness.  

There were a few moments of stress and miscommunication and mood swings
 from him or her or them...
but all in all we got through this weekend and are aware that life is good.
 Very good.

First things first, a stop by the Alumni building for a photo op.  

Texas A&M......where they teach you to say HOWDY instead of hi or hello. 

It sounds very corny until you are walking across campus

and you hear it a thousand times. 

 Everyone speaks to each other....and they all say "howdy."

Outside of the Alumni Building is the giant bronze Aggie ring.  One must have their picture taken here twice.  First, when they receive their ring after completing 90 hours and second, upon graduation.  The line was not too bad in length, but it took a long time because everyone had to take at least a hundred pictures once they got up there. 

So we waited.

And waited.  And texted.  And waited.

And waited.  And leaned.  And took pictures. 

That is Chuck's backside. 

I couldn't help it. 

I had to take that picture.

I showed him what he looked like leaning on that pole.

He said, "it's going on the blog, isn't it?"

Yep.

We waited and finally....

our turn.

So about a hundred pictures later....

 

Cameron

Cameron and Blake

Cameron and Will

Cameron and Jordan

Cameron with The Physical and Financial Support Department

Cameron and family

Trying on the cap......trying to decide if hair should be down or pulled to the side.

Deciding it doesn't really matter, no one looks good in these caps.

It's like the last joke's on the graduate...they make you wear a ridiculous cap and gown and you do. 

And then they make you sit for hours with a thousand others to take your turn to walk across the stage to receive that tube.  And you do.

 Because you want that diploma they hand you.

Because you earned it. 

An ocean of caps. 

Many decorated.

I sat there wondering why we didn't think to do that to Cameron's cap. 

At least these families knew where their graduate was in the ocean of caps.

Cameron was texted and told to turn around for a picture with the zoom lens.

Found her!

Getting ready to fist bump the president. 
Yes, she did.

We arrived at the Reed Arena at 6:00 p.m. 

 Approximately 9:15 p.m. Cameron walked across the stage.
But out of respect we waited another hour or more until the last graduate crossed the stage.




You've probably all been to one of these things. 
It's a little like punishment.  Somewhat painful.
Like prison in that you're stuck with no way to leave.


But the reward is great.


I know people who go to these things to see their friends graduate (Blake)
but I can honestly say I have never done that.
That's a good friend who would sit through that for someone.
I'm the good friend that didn't make any of you sit with me.

Only family was put through this pain. 
One more to go....next time I will pack a goody bag and some books.
You'd think I would have learned by now having attended 3 highschool and 1 college ceremony before this one.

But like childbirth....you forget in between.

After 2 years of preschool,
 6 years of elementary school,
3 years of junior high school,
 4 years of high school
 and 5 years of college,
diploma in hand.

That has got to feel great.

No more finals EVER.

Huge smile......that was a lot of sitting.....almost 4 hours.

No bathroom break or food.

Thank goodness for cell phones.

I'm sure that helped pass the time for most of these guys.

She did it.   

Big world, small world moment.  In that large arena full of thousands and thousands of people, we sat in view of a family from our original neighborhood.  I babysat this young woman, Julie, when she and Cameron were just babies.  They started kindergarten together and were the best of friends through elementary school.  Julie graduated last year but was there to watch her brother Jack graduate. 

Had to get a picture of these two together.

Shout out to the Nohavitza family!

Happy?

Check.

Long day.

Great day.

Time for us to head back to Houston

and for Cameron to stay behind to celebrate with her peers.

I choose not to dwell on what that looks like. ha.

Saturday evening was our family celebration for Cameron.

We met out for dinner with my sister and her family.

The wait for a table to hold our large group was about an hour.

  Time for a beverage, some appetizers and a little gift opening.

Some people are just better gift givers than others. My sister is just that. 

She always finds the perfect gift. 

Along with some much needed and very appreciated cash, she gave Cameron this t-shirt....

Cameron is our loud one.  As in the volume is turned way up.

  So this shirt is the perfect shirt for our engineer.

LOUDER. 

Cameron, Blake, Carlos, Mark, Jack, Will and Jordan

Ages 20 to 25.

Ah, to be that young again with the road ahead of you.

But know what I know now.

This is Blake.  Cameron's friend who rode in the MS150 bike ride with her.  Her friend/boy who has since become her boy/friend. 

I honestly couldn't have hand picked a nicer guy. 

Life is predictable in its untimely timing.  Just as Cameron is graduating and heading to a new job and  living in an apartment in this big city....she meets a great guy.

  Blake has a couple of years left at A&M.

So there's that untimely timing thing. 

The really funny thing?   He is from this area of Houston.  He went to high school about 8 miles from here.  Blake will be working here this summer so for now they will be in the same town.

Yes, I know I'm not in control.  But I love Cameron and she seems very very happy right now. 

And I think Blake has something to do with that.

Shout out to Blake!

(Cameron is probably going to kill me.  Oh, well, get your own blog and you can put awkward things about me on there.)

It's always good to have Jordan home. 

 She missed her husband but we are thankful

that she could come home for this special occasion.  

My brother-in-law Kim.  He's a good man.

I am not sure what we were doing but they called me over and said grab on.

We really didn't want the evening to end. 

We spent lots of time out in the parking lot saying goodbye and taking group pictures.

Jordan, Cameron, my sister Catha and me

I cropped about 3 inches off the right side of this picture because

we were all sticking our bottoms out...crouching down.

Why?

Because Cameron told us to.

Did I mention she is loud?

You should thank me that these photos don't come with sound.

The cousins.

Fake laughing.

Goodbye for good and head to the house....

Open more gifts. 

Grownup fun things like dishes and kitchen towels and shower curtains.

And measuring spoons and pot holders.

She did not want to grow up.

Don't use the word "alumni" around her.

Waaaaaa!

A very, very, very fun weekend.  She is slowly accepting it.  She no longer goes to college.

And as always, something like a little tulle turns into a costume.  Sadie, the bride.

Let's call it a night.

Attached

A lot of nothing going on. 

Except we had 3 things break in a major way...

our stovetop, Cameron's radiator in her car, and our computer.

Chuh Ching.

In our long married life, things have always broken in 3's. 

So we're hoping this is it for awhile.

But other than dealing with broken things, nothing else is really happening.

Will texted me the other day.......

"Baby tigers at the mall.

She "attached" to me the

owner said.

And I got to kiss her on

the mouth.  Just like sadie

lol"

(cell phone images attached)

I know.  They're cute.

  But my first reaction was...

isn't it time for finals? 

Shouldn't he be studying?

*****

Speaking of attached, I am spending a lot of time trying to DE-tach.  My days at the school are numbered and it really hit me yesterday that I wasn't coming back next year.  There was an early morning staff meeting and they were talking about dates and meetings and themes for next school year. 

I got that lump in my throat. 

While I know I have made the right decision, it's not going to be easy.  Honestly, it's always sad at the end of each school year...saying good-bye to big 6 year olds that walked in the door 9 months earlier as little bitty 5 year olds.  We spend a lot of time together.  Daily.  Hourly.  Fall.  Winter.  Spring.  One can't help but get attached.

That last day is going to be real tough.

For me.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Part of me is dying.