Celebrate!

 After the ceremony we went home to rest and recover and dance. Lucy gave us a preview to her ballet recital and then the rest of the fam joined in for an Aaron Stoker family favorite.

Then it was celebration time. I was lucky enough to ride with the kids and we made up additional verses to "If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops." "Lollipops and Shave ice" and "Pizza and ice cream" were a few of the more delicious ideas. It was a lovely dinner and gathering. All my favorite things, good food, good people, darling grandchildren and people saying nice things about my son. My kind of event.

I was impressed that Col. Arnold presented certificates to Aaron's family for their sacrifice and contribution in his completion of the program. It was well earned. Thank you Clarissa, for being such a wonderful wife, mother, daughter-in-law and friend.

And then there were the "Good Job Aaron" talks. They were generous and kind, but so important when someone has come to the end of a long arduous journey. And when his residency friend said "Aaron is patient and caring, and I never saw him lose his temper," There wasn't a more grateful mother. So basically, the best night ever. 

First to fight for the right and to build the nation's might. Congratulations Aaron

 There's something about watching a child struggle and fight and sweat and work with all he has to get to the finish line that just makes my mom heart burst with pride. This kid and his brave and loving wife just completed their Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, NC. It was an honor to attend the graduation ceremony, and I was enriched by the experience.

I've been to a couple of graduations, but not an army graduation. It was the DENTAC GRADUATE EDUCATION COMMENCEMENT and there were only 10 total graduates-6 Dentists, 3 Endodontists, and 1 Oral Surgeon. That right there makes for a very doable sit. It's very easy to watch 10 people get their diplomas. Talk away. We'll be fine.

We began the ceremony with the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner." I was already starting to feel very thankful for my freedom when things got even better. The Chaplain said, "We will now exercise our religious freedom and pray." Yeah, my religious freedom! The freedom that many have given their lives for. The freedom the soldiers in the room had promised to defend. Can we take a moment to commit to defend our religious freedom and never take it for granted? That statement alone made me want to pray with more faith, more resolve, and more gratitude. 

Then the retired General spoke and told us that the Army residency program was known for it's rigor and preparation for life. I thought of the 4 years my son worked into the night and came home to sleeping children. I remember visiting Aaron's family and waking up in the morning to little Lion King pictures that Aaron had drawn and left on the table so his children knew he loved them. I thought of how proud I am of my children and anyone else who chooses to do hard things and doesn't quit even though they wanted to many times.

Then they presented the Certificates. When Colonel Arnold presented Aaron's he started by saying, "And now for the Delta Force of Dentistry..." We laughed, but I appreciated the comparison, because this kid earned the compliment.

And then they sang the Army song. I've heard it at a hundred 4th of July celebrations, but it was different this time. I was proud and thankful to contribute to those who defend our country. And by contribute I mean give birth to a soldier and patriot.

March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free.

Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory.

We're the Army and proud of our name

We're the Army and proudly proclaim

First to fight for the right,

And to build the Nation's might...

He got a cool coin and we had some delicious cake. It was a great ceremony.

But I think the best recognition of all was this note from Lucy:

Everything's bigger in Texas

So they say. And since I had an event to attend I was fixin to find out. Not being my first rodeo, we didn't actually attend the rodeo, but I've been to Texas before, I hadn't really noticed the bigness. Well, except the Gulf of Mexico is big, and Houston traffic is big, and Texas proper is basically big so I guess was keeping my eye out for more big.

We arrived at Nathan and Ariane's apartment which is not exactly big, it's more like just right for a family of 3, but they have big hearts and we received a big welcome. The air mattress was big and the couch Gabe slept on was big and we were thankful for the excellent hospitality.

Friday was full of exciting plans. We started the day by attending the Rothco Chapel, which I'm sorry to say was a little over my head as modern art typically is. I tried to appreciate the complexity of the murals painted black. I really did.  I was just a tad confused so I read the description. It was explained to me that the wonder was in the "absence of murals," like I said, over my head. However, I respect those who have a meaningful experience there.

Next, we visited the nearby Menil Collection. There were some beautiful works of art to enjoy and as you can probably guess, I enjoyed the ancient and traditional art more than the surreal and pop art, but that's just the kind of girl I am. It was an impressive collection and I felt appreciative to the Menil's and their desire to share their bounty with the people of Houston and their visitors. The other great thing about our morning was that we were with some fantastic people. We had the Black's and the Stoker's all in attendance for the big day.

 Friday afternoon was the main event for which we came. This guy was graduating.

We climbed into various cars and headed downtown in rain to a big venue with lots of entrances. Apparently we chose poorly because the door we tried to enter was locked, as was the next and the next until finally we caught the attention of a janitor and begged to be let in. I'm sure there was a door somewhere that was open, we just weren't in contact with said door. With the rain and the lostness and general confusion of us, the family and fans, we walked in after the graduates had started their walk and pomp, but we located our favorite MD candidate and started waving and sending pictures and busting our proud buttons all over the place.

Do you see this woman in the bottom right corner? Just next to her
is her sweet husband who is also mature in age.
About half way through the ceremony she must have been cold because
her husband stood with weak body, but strong heart  and placed his suit
coat over her to protect her from the chill of TX AC. I love love.

I'm very proud of my son for his accomplishments, but what makes me even more proud is his love and dedication to his God and family. Oxox

Woo hoo! on to the celebratory dinner. The only problem was that it was still raining outside. Not regular rain, Houston-we've-got-a-problem, worst-flooding-ever, remember-when-the-bayou-wasn't-a rushing-river? rain. Plus Texas sized lightning, big and frequent. So what did we do? We got on the freeway and drove around town. And we arrived safely, and we didn't have to compete with a lot of other people going out to dinner, because who would go out to dinner in that kind of weather? Well, you know who.

Then it was "present time, present time. Open the presents and see what's inside." And what does every pediatric resident need? These shoes...

Wives know.

Saturday was Brazos Bend State Park day. That's where alligators live. We started with the visitor's center where we petted the baby.

The we started the big gator hunt. We walked along the path peering into the water until something peered back and we called out, "There's one!" We were also treated to some amazing birds and a host of dragon flies that kept our walk mosquito free.

We were feeling really safe and brave as none of the alligators seemed very interested in their human observers. But then there was this one very Texas sized Grandpa alligator that some girls were trying to get close to so they could take a picture. Out of the blue we heard a thunderous snap. The girls ran like crazy. This changed our alert status and we very cautiously gave Grandpa a wide berth as we moved past his location.

If you look to the left of the first tree you see his eyes, his back, water and part of his tail. We all almost died.

Another fun activity was watching Caden. His 6 biggest fans sat around and marveled at his intellect and beauty. Then we exclaimed at his clever and brilliant sitting, almost crawling, smiling and babbling. It was wonderful fun.

Our last Texas adventure was viewing the bat colony on Waugh bridge. We arrived at sunset and smelled them before we saw them. Guano is so guano-y. And then just like that, thousands of bats flew out and flew out and flew out from under the bridge for their nightly feeding. They swarmed like insects as they dispersed into the night. So cool. Of course it doesn't photograph well, Your only choice is to see it for yourself.

I can't say for sure, but that might be my last trip to Texas. So in memory of the fun times I found and am sharing some of the favorite Texas sayings as collected by Anne Dingas:

Acceptable
1.That's close enough for government work.
2.Might as well. Can't dance, never could sing, and it's too wet to plow.
3. I could sit still for that

Boastful
1. He can strut sitting down.
2. He's all hat and no cattle.
3. He chamber-of-commerced it.

Dishonest
1. He's on a first name basis w/the bottom of the deck.
2. He's so crooked if he swallowed a nail he'd spit up a horse shoe.
3. She's slicker than a boiled onion.

Honest
1. He's so honest you could shoot craps with him over the phone.
2. If I say a hen dips snuff you can look under her wing for the can.

Timid
1. If he was melted down he couldn't be poured into a fight.

Dry
1. It's so dry the birds are building their nests out of barbed wire.
2. It's so dry the catfish are carrying canteens.

Confused
1. Confused as a goat on Astroturf.
2. I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.

Citified
1. You don't live longer in the city. It just seems that way.

Departure
1. It's time to put out the fire and call in the dogs.

Patience
1. Hot will cool if greedy will let it.
2. Take a tater and wait.
3. Wash off your war paint.

Tired
1. Looks like she was rode hard and put away wet.
2. One wheel down and the axle dragging.

Sick
1. I'm so sick I'd have to get better to die.
2. Got the green apple nasties.
3. So sick he needs 2 beds.

Talkative
1. She speaks 10 words a second with gusts to 50.

Unwelcome
1. As welcome as an outhouse breeze.

Difficult
1. Like putting socks on a rooster.

Celebratory
1. We'll paint the town and the front porch.
2. Let's hallelujah the county.

Cheap
1. Tight enough to raise a blister
2. He'd squeeze a nickel till the buffalo screams.
3. Tight as a wet boot.

Crazy
1. He's got a big hole in his screen door.
2. She's 2 sandwiches short of a picnic.
3. He's overdrawn at the memory bank.

Lucky
1. He could sit on a fence and the birds would feed him.

Small
1. No bigger than moles on a chigger.

Fast
1. Fast as small town gossip
2. Faster than a sneeze through a screen door.
3. Any faster and he'd catch up to yesterday.

Busy
1. Busy as a funeral home fan in July.

Capable
1. She's a right smart windmill fixer.
2. He could find a whisper in a whirlwind.
3. If she crows, the sun is up.

Advice
1. Never sign nothing by neon.
2. Give me the bacon without the sizzle.
3. Don't hang your wash on someone else's line.
4. Better to keep your mouth shut and seem a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Misc.
1. Serious as the business end of a .45.
2. If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?