David

I have to brag a minute, sometimes moms just can’t resist.  Besides, the other part of the story makes no sense without the brag tossed in.  That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.

Soren, our oldest, graduated college in May.  After 5 long, disheartening, months, he started a new job in November.  Two months & four days later, he got his first promotion!  Guess who burst with pride?  Me!!!

He’s been trying to buy a house ever since.  It’s not easy to buy a house these days, especially with zero credit history (no bad, but no good either).  The financial counselor recommended building some credit.  I could see Soren’s eyes light up over the phone.  This was his opportunity to buy his dream car, a Subaru wrx sti. I can say wrx sti in my sleep.  It’s been his dream car since he was 15.

After a week of searching, he found the almost-perfect one.  It’s blue, just not pearl blue, his favorite blue.  It was a small enough fault for him to forgive.  He negotiated with the sales people to get the loan he wanted, the interest rate he wanted, the trade-in value he wanted.  Everything.  He called me every step of the way.  I’m not sure why he’s still asking for permission, it is his money.  He’s earned it.  But I’m ecstatic to be a part of his life, if only by phone.  Finally Thursday night he drove it off the lot.  I asked if it was worth the wait.

“Mom.  It was more than worth the wait.  It is everything I’ve ever dreamed of.” I could hear the happiness shining in his voice, in his eyes. I wish I was there to be the first to ride in his very own car.

Yesterday Dave took the kids out for me.  I have some big projects at work & I really needed time & quiet. It involved math & spreadsheets.  Lots of math & spreadsheets. I was so thankful he took them and I immediately, completely, absorbed myself in the wonderful world of excel.  Four hours later I raised my head, looked around, blinked at the dark & the quiet and wondered where my family had gone.  I called Dave.

“I’m on my way home.” Dave said over the roar of a racecar.  A racecar?!?!  Our remaining car is a beat-up old vw vento.  We do not have a racecar.

“I couldn’t take Soren getting a wrx sti.  So I bought one too.” My husband informed me over the roar of his wrx sti.  I’ll leave the argument out of my story telling here.  My husband is nothing if not competitive.  Especially with his sons.  I pulled on my ski jacket & snowboats (over my angry bird pj pants) and went to meet him & his new car outside with my camera.  At the very least I wanted to post our wrx sti on Sorens wall and get his goat.

I stood in the snow & cold for only a minute before I heard the roar of a racecar pull into town.  Not into our street, but into town.  I started wondering.  As the roar grew closer, and headlights inched around the corner, and the neighbors curtains once again nudged to the side, I put my camera down.  There would be no getting Sorens goat.  Dave hadn’t bought a wrx sti.  Our little beat-up old vw vento was dying too.  With a roar, but dying.  All I could do was laugh and then run in and call Soren. To my husbands credit, detriment? Soren, too, briefly believed Dave had bought a matching wrx sti.

So I have no picture to go with this story, we have no wrx sti, and instead I’m sharing a happy moment from our week.  Maybe not happy, but bittersweet.  Crystal & Brian are on a plane stateside as I type.  Another family finished with their service in Germany and going back to a new duty station on American soil.  I hate this part of military life.  I will never get used to goodbye’s.  I do, however, love our tradition of a big, HUGE, goodbye beer.  This will never get old.

It takes all of us (5 families, 5 couples) to finish these beers.  Though I think Karen could easily drink one alone.