Sorry V I'm late in picking up on this thread. My most sincere congrats to you, Justin and everyone in your family. It takes the love, support and encouragement of one's family to reach your goals and see your dreams come true. I couldn't help but think of Forrest Gump in reading of your prenatal expectations for Justin. " Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get " Everyone who knows you should be proud of you that you found the courage to accept God's will and see the pregnancy through. Look at what that box of chocolates ending up being.
All the best to you and your family
B B
LIFE IS SO FULL OF SURPRISES! No matter how much you plan and think YOU are in control!
You know, I love all four of my boys. They are mirror images of each other. The oldest and youngest are alike and the two in the middle are alike - even down to pregnancies, complications, curly hair, etc. It is very uncanny because they are 2 for 2 - 2 with first husband, divorced for 6 years, 2 with second husband. But Justin was the one that changed my life forever! I was so stoked about going to college myself. I was going to be the first person to ever graduate from college (still was but as an adult mother with 4 boys). I came home one day and said, "I am moving in with Ross." Anyone in the south knows exactly how this conversation was finished. I can remember it just like it was yesterday. My dad was at one of the table and my grandfather at the other. We kind of just burst in the door, flopped down at the dining room table, grabbed a biscuit and spit it out there. They - my dad and grandfather - take the bite of food off their fork, wipe the fork clean with the knife, lay the fork down on one side of the plate and the knife on the other, chew their food ever so slowly, wash it down with a half glass of sweet tea, wipe their mouths, wipe their hands as they slide their chair half back (and I think my Grandfather - the fire and brimstone preacher - cleared his throat) and then they lie the napkin in their lap and look up at me for a few fleeting seconds before they look him dead in the eye and say, "You're doing what? No daughter of mine is living with any man that is she is not married to...." I looked at him, I looked at them, looked back at him, and said, "Welp, guess we're getting married then!" That was it! Went to the doctor, got a blood test, started the pill, got married Labor Day weekend, had a 3 day honeymoon in Gatlinburg and rushed back to Atlanta for finals at Georgia Tech.
On my other grandfather's birthday on October 10th, 1985, we went home and I was sick. I thought I had the flu. Sick, couldn't eat, tired. My aunt said, "You don't have the flu. You're pregnant." I was like, "No, that's impossible! I'm on the pill!" When it was confirmed, I threatened to sue the doctor, told him I hated him, actually went so far as to schedule an abortion, but couldn't go through with it. I just was not ready to be a mom. I even remember telling my mom, "How am I going to raise a kid. I'm just a kid myself!" Then complications began, high blood pressue, bad ultrasounds, bad test results, etc. There are advantages to being young and dumb because you just don't realize the magnitude of what they are telling you at times and it doesn't seem "that bad." For Justin's high school graduation, they asked us to write each child a letter. I remember buying the Kenny Chesney CD the day it came out because of the song, "There goes my life" because that was exactly how I felt about that little blue-eyed blonde baby boy with curly hair as he'd climb up the stairs at his grandmother's townhouse every day when I dropped him off to go to work.
Justin was always a child who set his own path. He started reading at 3 and we could no longer spell M-c-D-o-n-a-l-d-s without him knowing what it was! He told his 5th grade gifted teacher that he wanted to be President. I remember he started at trend at Rome High School of everyone - girls and guys - of wearing Chuck's (the Converse hi-tops) to the prom. He joined the debate team and refused to wear a "real suit." He wore this salmon-colored polyester leisure suit that he bought at the Salvation Army and went to Nationals in both forensic leagues. When he moved to Furman, he was driving a Honda so that song was so fitting! He was my first child and hardest to let go. When he left, we ALL felt like "there goes my life." The big brother was leaving his baby brothers. Who was going to drive the rising sophomore to school until he got his driver's license? Who was going to take the toddler to Mickey D's? They all still ask, "When is Justin going to come back and be our brother again?" When I told him that if the words were for a little boy, that would be exactly how I felt about him. So I copied the lyrics and changed them. He said he started crying at the award ceremony and then one of his female friends read it thinking something was wrong and before you knew it, all of his girlfriends were crying right along with him!
So today, we went by his new house. It was so nice, clean and already decorated. I was so impressed! But of course, I was playing second fiddle today. Since graduation, this is how I've spent the weekend....Waiting, waiting, waiting! I'm still waiting. I guess when you have to stop at every major city between Greenville and Rome, it takes a while to make the rounds!!! Today, I didn't cry. I just kept smiling. Now, I'm going to sleep now! My work is done....at least until next Saturday! Ha ha!
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Topic: 4 years and $140k (Read 4871 times)