Graduation Dinner

We celebrated Evan’s upcoming college graduation tonight while the family was in town. His only request was that we celebrate with a steak dinner and a nice wine. Wes cooked the steaks, I made the sides, and Mom and Vikki brought the wine. 

I’m still shocked sometimes to remember I have adult children. Most days I still feel 35; I don’t identify as a 50 year old. Pretty sure I’m in the wrong body. Time has surely flown by in the last 22 years but especially these past 3.5 years. One more round of finals and he’s officially done with his undergrad.

Smart Guy

This came in the mail. 

Evan said, “Woa! $95 for somebody to tell me I’m smart? Don’t think I can swing that.”

He’s not joining but we are so proud of the recognition. 

UTK Homecoming

It’s homecoming week at UTK. The fountain water is orange and the pledges are busy pomping getting that float ready for the parade. Evan was relieved to have no responsibility for any decorations beyond teaching others how to pomp. 

This year’s theme is Salute to Smokey. Smokey X will retire this year, and his son, Smokey XI, will soon take his place on campus. 

We had a big win at today’s game, but it was all a bit anticlimactic after last week’s win. 

AGR won first place in the annual homecoming competition. Here’s the winning float:

Evan texted me at 7:12 this morning and told me to call when I was free. My first thought was “He’s in jail after celebrating that homecoming win with champagne showers.” I put off calling him for an hour to make sure I was as calm as possible when he delivered the news. As it turns out, he was up early studying trying to get his work done so he could watch the Cowboys game. 

Never have I have ever been more relieved. 

I see this pic and think Evan needs his great-grandpa Cody’s cowboy hat to finish the look. Who would have thought?

Dean’s List 🎉

If you have a five year old that tries to trick the teacher into thinking he can’t read because he “doesn’t want to read big words,” there’s hope.

If you have a middle schooler who puts his head down and sleeps during the math placement test because he “doesn’t want hard math,” there’s hope. 

If you have a high schooler who doesn’t study because he is “going to college with a test score of 85 or 100 and will sit next to the salutatorian who wasted four years stressing over grades for no reason,” there’s hope. 

I just wanted him to pass, and he exceeded my expectations by making the dean’s list. So much for dropping out of college to be a plumber.

I’m so proud of him!

Episode #2:The Life if a College Freshman

In today’s episode of Life as a College Freshman, we explored controlled substances. 

Evan: Is it drug abuse for ppl to use adderall to get hw done? Literally everyone is doing that but it seems kinda suspect 

Me: It is for you because you don’t have a RX. 

Wes: It’s a crime. Taking a controlled substance not prescribed to you is illegal. 

Evan: Ya I figured but I didn’t know if adderall could be used like asprin or something like that without a prescription. 

😮😳😂🤣😮

Man, I thought I had done a fairly good job of preparing him for college. I didn’t realize I had to explain Adderall is not candy. 

Move In Day

Today was the long awaited college move-in day. While I’ve been prepping for this days for months, Evan decided to finally pack his clothes last night at 8:00. When we started unpacking today, I found a pair of Keagan’s shoes and a child sized jersey. He also packed four swim trunks and only six pairs of underwear. Clearly, there was little thought placed with what went in the bag. 

He said good-bye to Keagan at 0630. He didn’t shed a tear and was relieved to have the hardest good-bye out of the way first.  He said, “If I didn’t cry saying good-bye to Keagan then I think I can go the full day with no tears.” 

Despite his procrastination with packing, he has been mentally ready to move for months! The past few weeks he’s been in contact with dozens of guys that he has “met” through the dorm chat, social media, rush, campus ministries, and the canoe trip. He left home with an open mind (as open minded as Evan can be), a true willingness to meet as many people as possible, and an excitement for the adventure ahead. 

Our check in time was 11:00. By 2:30, we had the carpet down, the bed made, and the clothes unpacked. I cringed when I saw Evan stuff clothes in his drawers with no organizational method. He said, “I’m living here, Mom. You don’t have to worry about it any more.”

We had a late lunch at a restaurant on the river and

 took Wes on a short walking tour of campus. 

There were no tears, but I’m saddened to say good-bye to my Orange Theory partner, the one I “share a brain” with, and my Mavericks game watching partner. He will be home in three weeks. I’m already planning his favorite meal, looking forward to going to the gym with him, and excited to watch a game with him.