Blink and You Miss Them

I'm an empty nester this summer - well - I'm practicing to be one anyway. I am almost 45 years old and I have forgotten what life without a houseful of kids is like.
Justin graduated in May. He is taking 2 classes at the community college this summer and spends his free evenings with his girlfriend or working or in his room on his computer. It is like pulling teeth to get him to tell me about his classes, his friends, his life. He plans to go to Texas Tech in January and is already on his own in his mind. Today he texted me with the score he got on a test - it was nice. I try to keep up with what he is doing in his classes so we have something to talk about. He is doing really well and I am very proud of him. I know pulling away is important - I did the same thing my last summer at home. It's just not as fun to be on this side of it.
Zach is away at wrestling camp for a month, and our phone conversations remind me of when I used to have to talk to my grandparents on the phone. They asked me the dumbest questions and I provided one-word answers. I wondered why they bothered, now I know they just wanted to stay connected. Sometimes he gets excited and forms whole paragraphs - those are the moments! When he gets home he wants to find a job - he will need it with gas prices as high as they are and him just getting his first car. This fall he and his friends will fill the house and the excitement of football games and wrestling tournaments will be overwhelming, but for now it is quiet.
Dave is gone on another trip - Maui this time. I so wanted to go too but the flights were full. Great for the airline, bad for family members wanting to tag along. He has been spending a lot of time working on Zach's car - a 1995 BMW 325i with over 200,000 miles on it. He has done a fantastic job so far. Just a few little details left and it will be ready for picking up Zach at the airport. We have been telling Zach that there are problems with the "pimping" and there is no way it will be done until mid-August, so hopefully he will be surprised when we pull up in his shiney "new" car.
So tonight it is me and the dogs and the Ranger game. Dave will be home Wednesday - I think I will go to Arlington and watch the double-header with Seattle tomorrow. Funny how bringing baby's home turns your whole life upside-down, then all of a sudden you are on your own again. I have a lot of plans for how I want to spend this era in my life - it ain't over yet...