Monday : 08 May 2006
…annnnd I’m back. It’s been a very busy weekend. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a “good” weekend, just that there was a lot to do and not a lot of time for much else. It was great to see the family, but I am tired. That said, here’s the recap of the weekend:
Friday: Up, ready and off to the airport. Check-in and security were fast and easy. I was hungry, but decided to wait until we got through security and hit the Cinnabon shop at the far end of the B Gates. Great theory, but practical application bit me in the ass: There is no longer a Cinnabon there. This is not something that you want to discover when you haven’t had anything to eat. Fortunately, I had the foresight to pick up some apples and cashews for the trip – they served as a suitable substitute breakfast. As I hadn’t slept much Thursday night/Friday morning, I slept for most of the trip to Las Vegas.
Not surprisingly, I slept most of the way from Vegas to Oklahoma City, too. When we disembarked and got into the terminal, I walked right past Adam and Chelsea (my brother and his fianceè); I was looking for my father or stepmother (who should have arrived about thirty minutes ahead of us), but they were delayed getting out of Atlanta. Baggage claim. Rental agency. On to Adam and Chelsea’s new house.
We headed out of OKC to see the kids’ house… and meet their dog, Scout. It was a nice home in a good area – three bedrooms, two baths, nice kitchen, dining and living rooms, garage, mud room and a decent-sized yard. From there, we headed back into OKC to pick up our penguin suits tuxedos. Adam had been eyeing the coat that I wore out there, but Men’s Warehouse was out of them… so I bought him a different jacket (of his choosing) for his graduation present. He seemed pretty happy about this. And I didn’t have to worry about the safety of my coat for the duration of the weekend. After I tried on my tux, I headed into the mall to find Starbucks – I hadn’t had any coffee and really didn’t think that it would be healthy for those around me if I was without caffeine for much longer. Post coffee and tuxes, we headed to Stillwater, where Oklahoma State University is, where Adam’s apartment was…. and we were staying Friday and Saturday.
The ride to Stillwater reminded me of driving through Kansas when I moved to Utah. I asked my father “How did Adam find such an out-of-the-way school?” Just after I said it, I remembered that I had gone to school in the middle-of-nowhere Indiana. I shared the afterthought with my father; we both got a good laugh out of it. To the hotel to drop off the family (Dad, Kitty, Rana, Carole – Kitty’s sister – and Grandmother Anderson). Adam, and I hung out with them for a bit before heading to Adam’s apartment. The three of us decided that we were hungry, so we made a trip to the local Chili’s, where I introduced Adam to the stout goodness known as “Guinness.” He liked it. Back to the apartment. Sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep.
Saturday: Adam got up to take Kitty, Rana and to hear The Shrub (yes, that Shrub) give the commencement address. I had considered going – I even had Adam reserve a ticket for me – but since Adam told me on Friday night that it was optional and not part of his actual commencement ceremony (speech at 10:00AM, commencement at 4:00 PM) – I skipped it. I enjoyed the extra couple hours of sleep. I got up and started getting ready while he went back to pick up the rest of the family. They came back and we ate, chatted and wasted some time until we had to go to the campus. It was a zoo. There was an early commencement (1:00 PM) and a late one (Adam’s, at 4:00); the early one was clearing out as we arrived. We found a place for the family to sit without too much ado; I found a seat closer to the stage, so that I could get decent pictures of Adam. I wound up sitting next to a man who had been there all day: His grandson was graduating at 4:00, but his grandson’s girlfriend had been in the 1:00 group. *Ouch* The commencement itself was very nice. A group that played bagpipes and drums – kilts and all – marched in behind the graduates. Hadn’t seen that one before. Then there was the state song: Oklahoma! The Rodgers and Hammerstein Oklahoma! The professor who led it had a great voice, I’ll give him that. Booming. Commanding. And, it sounded as though he was having fun singing it… as did everyone else (who knew the lyrics) in the arena. There were LOTS of happy, singing people in that place. And a lot of clapping, too. I forgot to mention: I got to play Forward Observer/Relay Operator between the family and Adam. Thanks to the wonders of cell phone technology – and the fact that I knew where they all were – I got to point them out to each other. That wasn’t an easy feat in a noisy athletic arena, but we managed to get it done.
Then, there was the conferring of the diplomas. They called one school… then another… About halfway through the School of Technology, Architecture and Engineering, I happened (sheer luck) to look up at the family-unit. They were all waving at the floor of the arena. Rather than go with my first instinct (“They’ve all gone right ’round the bend…”) I looked at the floor. Adam wasn’t in his seat. *boggle* It turned out that he got up and got in line – excuse me: He skipped two schools and about 700 people – to get his diploma. He had a good reason, though: He didn’t want to be late or have to rush to his commissioning ceremony. I could understand that. When he got his diploma, he headed for the door. So did we. We went a couple of buildings over to the Student Union, where he would be commissioned into the USAF as a 2nd Lieutenant. That ceremony was nice. There were 14 cadets in his group. Before the cadets were officially commissioned as officers, there was a “How we got here” PowerPoint presentation – each cadet had selected a theme song and series of pictures to show. Adam chose The Steve Miller Band’s The Joker for his song. After the presentation, it was time for the official commissioning, which was done in three parts:
- The cadet was read the oath of office.
- The cadet was given his “Hard Rank,” wherein someone would pin his gold bars to his uniform and hat.
- The cadet was given his First Salute by a sergeant or, in a couple cases, family members who were or had been in the military.
One of Adam’s favorite officers read him the oath; Kitty and Chelsea pinned him. There was a reception for the new lieutenants in the ballroom; we didn’t stay long because we were heading back to the hotel to meet and to have dinner and dessert together. Before eating, however, Adam and I made a run to the local liquor store for some pre-wedding libations. Back to the hotel to eat and gab with family. Back to Adam’s, where I introduced him to Pirate’s Tea, which he liked. (Thanks again to .) We then stayed up talking until 2:00 AM, when I just couldn’t stay awake any longer.
Sunday: I was awakened by Adam and his Winnie the Pooh hand puppet. I got a good laugh out of that. We got up, ready and headed to pick up the rest of the family-unit from the hotel. From there, it was on to Norman, OK. We checked everyone into a hotel there and then headed to Thunderbird Chapel, where the wedding and reception were being held. We, as groomsmen, did our fair share of pre-wedding imbibing. Not “too much,” mind you. Just enough to dull the rough edges. Yeah… that’s it! “Dull the rough edges.” *nod* Pictures. Pictures. Pictures. Wedding! Chelsea’s uncle officiated the wedding. It was a very nice ceremony – they both wrote their own vows. (I had forgotten how well Adam writes… when he wants to or has to.) Pictures. Pictures. Pictures. Reception! Food and light (non-alcoholic) beverages. As Adam’s Best Man, I gave his toast. His only request/requirement was that I not embarrass him. I did my best not to do that.
I said that I had been very happy when, twenty years prior, I was told that I was (finally) going to have a little brother. I also admitted that while I hadn’t thought about the “someone to get you in trouble” aspect of having a younger brother, that I had been – and continue to be – very proud to have him for my brother. And that he and Chelsea truly seemed to love and respect each other. And, if they could weather each others’ idiosyncrasies, that they would have a long and happy life together.
After Whitney, Chelsea’s cousin and Maid of Honor gave her toast, we sat down to eat and then… there was dancing. First, Chelsea and her father. Then, Adam and Kitty. Then, EVERYBODY. Part of the “everybody” dancing was a Twist “competition.” Dad and Kitty won. Hands down. I thought that they danced at Rana and ‘ wedding. Nuh-uh. Not even close. They. Got. DOWN. After it was said and done, the DJ said that he had been kidding about the whole “competition” thing, but after their display, he had to award them a blue ribbon. (It really was a sight to behold. And, yes, I got many a picture of them cutting a rug, to prove it.)
A couple of hours later, we found ourselves back at the hotel. Shortly after that, we all decided that we were still a little hungry. So, we headed to Applebee’s for a late bite to eat. And drinks! We talked, told stories and drank our respective tasty beverages. Dinner was fun. Laugh-until-you-cry fun. It was a very good way to unwind after the weekend’s festivities. Back to the hotel, where I played on the Interweb (hey, , I used iBahn! Go figure!), took a long, relaxing soak/bath… and then piled into bed for a good night’s rest. Or so I thought. I had a difficult time falling asleep.
Monday: was up and gone before most of us could form a coherent thought; it was good to see him, though brief. Coolest brother-in-law ever. *nod* After getting up and getting ready, it was time for the getting out. and I said our goodbyes to Rana, Kitty, Carole and Grandmother Anderson and Dad drove us into OKC to catch our flight. Adam and Chelsea met us at the airport and hung out with us until it was time for us to head to our gate. Before we left, I told the two of them that they should come visit the Land Behind the Zion Curtain before Adam has to report to his first duty station. We are tentatively shooting for Fourth of July “weekend.”
A short while after arriving at home, I received “Picture Mail” from Adam, who turned 21 today: It was a picture of him, with a large mug of beer in one hand and a Hooters girl at his side. He had a very large smile on his face. He deserves to smile and be happy and all that goes along with it.
And that’s how I spent my summer vacation long weekend in Oklahoma.
Now, it’s time for bed.
Namaste.
– 
