Adulthood is for the birds!

Who in the hell wants to be an adult? Remember when we thought it was all about getting whatever we wanted, having lots of money, and not having to listen to anyone?? Boy, were we wrong. I don't get what I want, I don't have lots of money, and I STILL have to listen to people (or at least pretend to). Somehow, I think I've been hornswaggled.

What's bringing on this sudden wanting to be young again?? No, it's not the 10 inch grey hair I found a few weeks ago . . . nor was it my birthday last week . . . it was my taxes. Yes, that's right, I waited until 11:49 PM on 4/14 to file my taxes. I didn't wait until the last minute to file my taxes, but pretty darn close.

And here's the kicker of the situation . . . I'm getting a refund back. I've never had to pay (because I don't claim enough) so it's not like I was worried. I just didn't want to do it! It's just so dang silly to me. I have to buy a computer program (b/c I'm not about to do it myself) to figure out what I can deduct, what I can claim, what I can write off . . . all to whittle it down to the smallest amount I can. It's a shell game really . . . and not a very fun one.

Also playing into this is my having to go back to work. I had the last week off, and I went to Texas to visit the family. Had a blast - and found some old photos and started capturing them digitally. It was so nice to wake up and not have to do anything. I went to the Ft. Worth Zoo, the Botanical Gardens of Ft. Worth, watched my nephew play baseball, visited relatives, so on and so on and so on. It was a blast!

I'm ready to move back home, go to school, play games, and go to bed early. I want snack time, nap time, sleep overs, and my teddy bear. Look at how cute I was when I was 4 . . . I got whatever I wanted, never needed any money, and didn't have to listen . . . I had a good thing going. Why did I keep getting older . . . that was soooooo stupid of me! And that t-shirt I'm wearing is super cool!

Oh well . . . I guess that's what I get for wantin' to be a big boy . . .

512 Miles South

512 Miles ~ That's the distance from my home here in Kansas to my Dad's House SW of Ft. Worth.

It's about an 8 hr drive . . . mainly due to traffic and construction. I had a lot of time on the trip to think. What would it be like after so long seeing my Dad? Is it going to be awkward? Is anyone going to be angry or mad at me? What if it goes badly? Why am I doing this? Is this the right thing? As you can see, a lot of questions circled my mind. Truth be told, I was nervous. Very, very nervous.

So, after the long trip, I pull up to the home. And there, on the front porch, was my Dad and his wife. Waving and smiling. I pull up, turn the car off. And open the door . . . here it goes . . . and I'm greeted by the biggest hug. Instant relief. Any doubts in my mind were immediately gone. As convenience would have it, the first evening was just us, a bowl of chili, lots of pictures, and smiles. It was nice to visit and hear what life has been like for them, and share mine.

The second day was a jaunt to Hurst to have lunch with my uncle, and then over to the Stockyards in north Ft. Worth for some souveniers for The Double D's for watching the pooch. Saturday, we took a day trip to Austin to visit my brother John, and Sunday was Cowboys game and goodbyes. Inbetween, I got to see all my brothers, my niece and nephew, my sister-in-law, a golf course in progress, and just absorb it all.

There's a lot I'm not saying, because it's just for us. But know this, it was such a positive event for us all. After 10 years apart, we had a great time together, and have planned another visit after the holidays. When I get a chance, I'll post some pics on flickr for ya . . .

I miss them all already. I'll be home again soon, Daddy.