A Week of Laughter and Friends

In November Cal asked us if he could go to Florida for Spring Break with a group of friends.  I remember instantly my mind started racing.  I trust Cal and his decision making skills, but the thought of him and his buddies driving through the mountains late at night instantly made me panic.  As Cal explained his plans to us he focused on the money he would be spending, the place that he would be staying at and the friends that would be going along.  The more he talked, the more we realized that this wasn't just a passing phase.  He really wanted to go and was hoping that we would help make this possible.

We asked him to gather more information and to check in with us at Christmas break and we would give him our thoughts.  He did just that and when he asked about his trip again, we decided to be completely honest and lay out our fears about him going on this adventure.  At the end of our conversation we realized that he was on the same page as we were and was even able to instantly alleviated one of our concerns with "Mom, we're on the first floor, so no one is falling off a balcony."  

As the date for his trip drew nearer, he returned home to pick up Michael.  He was excited to have a break from school and looking forward to some fun in the sun.  This was his first trip on his own.  He and his friends had big plans and couldn't wait to get started.  Cal's carful decided to leave in the afternoon which helped alleviate some of my concerns about driving through the night.  They also coordinated with Cameron Adams to stay at his Aunt's in Alabama the first night, therefore, breaking up their time on the road.  

Cal texted multiple times throughout the week.  He was having the time of his life.  Even though the weather wasn't quite what they had planned, they were still able to enjoy the beach and most of all each other's friendship.  Their week was everything that they wanted it to be.  As proud as I was of him for making it through a Spring Break trip on his own with incident, I was even more proud of myself as I did not spend every moment of the week worrying about him.  Only the all night car ride home brought a little bit of anxiety.  Glad to say they are all safe and sound in Bloomington ready to finish the semester strong.