Rain

Several of you have asked how I am adjusting to a life without Zach. I am not going to lie, it sucks. It's hard for a Mom. We are at home where our children are not. He's moved on to his next  stage. Life is exciting for him and he is loving his independence. No one to answer to; however, I remind him that even though I can not see him, God can. And someday he will have to answer to him even though he thinks that he can get away with not answering to me. ( Insert, eye roll). Letting go is tough for me. He's going to do some stupid stuff. I have to have faith that if I have done my job right, he'll be fine. There will be a stretch of days that go by and I will not hear from him. I even googled, " How often should you be in touch with your college kids?" Imagine?! I needed a concrete answer. The majority of the answers said that once a week was acceptable. Check in and just confirm that he is still alive and everything is okay.  Every child is different. Do not nag. Do not interfere. Talk to them as adults. Let them know that you miss them and love them. Period.  Heavy sigh. This has been a lesson to me that perhaps my parents feel the same way and I need to talk to them more. Do they get the same joy when I call them that I feel when Zach calls me?!
With that being said, I was over the top thrilled to spend last weekend, family weekend on Zach's campus. It was perfectly acceptable to be immersed into his world as other families were there, as well. The time together was surreal.
Rain seemed to be a common theme. Starting on our trip to Tampa, we crossed the paths of a horrific accident on I-75 which left the southbound lanes closed for hours when heavy rains caused a 50 car accident. Amazingly, no one was killed but the caravan of tow trucks and ambulances made a lasting impression on our travels.

Friday night was the first ever TAMPA BAY RAINS game, Tampa's new pro basketball team (ABA, not NBA). Coach is Tree Rollins. Only 7 ft 1 inch. Played in NBA for 18 years; I think the Atlanta Hawks.

They market the rain theme. Loved when the announcer would say "It's raining threes". Or when the cheerleaders were trying to teach the fans to sound like rain and thunder.

Zach's sports management curriculum requires them to volunteer for 10 hours/ per semester at various venues. He is already well over double that.  He volunteered for all three of the preseason games. I convinced him to fore go Saturday night's game since I was coming to see him not watch strangers playing basketball. However, we agreed to go to Friday night's game. He was able to get us free "VIP" tickets center court  ($50 value), row 6. Not much of a crowd on preseason night but free t shirts, Hard Rock casino cards, stickers, fans, etc.

 

 

 The team is very good. The smeared the opposing teams all three nights.  Friday, Zach was in charge of setting up half time entertainment, you know the games that interact with the fans. He, also, carried the practice balls, brought the team pizza, etc. and is willing to do whatever is required.  Most of his time was spent watching the game court side.

A dream come true for a sports fan. His roommate, Josiah, shares the same major and they spend quite a bit of time together. Debated about putting my big honker zoom lens on the camera to get a picture of them but tried taking photos incognito. He spotted me and even commented to Josiah. Might as well have went with the zoom after all. Would have been a better picture!

I swear this kid has a sixth sense and turns his back right when I snap a photo. Blurry as I crop in for a close-up. Easy to spot those new red sneakers.

We enjoyed taking them out to dinner at Hard Rock cafe afterwards and getting to know Josiah and catching up on Zach's life. He is from Buffalo, New York. We learned later that our families have quite a few similarities. His Dad and Mom are the same ages as Gene and I. And he swore his parents' personalities were the same as Gene and mine, respectively. Now that is scary! He is the last child to leave home being the youngest of 4.
As usual, I have become quite wordy. This is only the first night! Will continue tomorrow!