Garrett at the Inauguration

Well, Garrett is back home now and still pretty exhausted after five very active days in Washington, D.C. He has had lots of things to tell us about his experiences and I'm sure will continue to add things as he remembers so many of the things they did and saw during the week. The inauguration was exciting for him, even though we don't align ourselves politically with President Obama, Garrett understands the historical significance of this inauguration and knows that he has experienced something that most of us never will see in person. Although he didn't get to see much except for a million plus people, and even though the temperatures were freezing, he says that it was worth it. He made many new friends and now shares some exciting experiences with them. He especially enjoyed hearing Eric Wehenmeyer speak. He is a blind mountain climber who has accomplished things that most of us with perfect sight can never even imagine. He also had an opportunity to hear retired General Colin Powell speak. He went to the Air Space museum at the Smithsonian and they got to eat lunch on some type of river cruise.

Ever the athlete, one of the most memorable parts of the conference, was that they had all of their meetings and guest speakers at the University of Maryland's gym; which is where the 1967 Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team won the NCAA title. It's special for Garrett because for the past two years he has attended the Spurs Basketball Camp which is hosted by Nevil Shed, one of the black players on that historic team.

Garrett has now officially been to D.C. more than me. I can't wait for us all to go as a family and have him as our tour guide. These CYLC conferences have meant so much to him and provided him with the opportunity to experience so much of the history that makes us still proud to be Americans, even when times are tough and our future is questionable. I'm so glad he got the chance to go but it's great to have him back home again and see him get back into his regular school routine, basketball games and starting this weekend, soccer practices and games. Yes, it is definitely busier when Garrett is home but I'm just glad we've still got 4 1/2 more years before he's off to college. For now, I want my "little" 5'11 boy right here at home with me.