Meanwhile, back in suburban Houston

Hi, this is Trevor. Nancy said it would be OK for me to fill in a little about how we are coping for the weekend with Mom not around. To sum up, we are getting by but there’s no doubt we are all ready for her to come home.

For me it means struggling to coordinate logistics and that isn’t made any easier by the cold I developed Thursday night (I am much improved this morning, thanks for asking). Everybody is so busy and has so many places to go, it’s tough to track. Fortunately Nancy is very organized and left a nice list. And very, very fortunately there are plenty of people around us to help pick up the slack whether it’s Macy being invited for a sleepover or one of Payton’s coaches getting him home from practice. And then there’s Ed who is the most selfless and helpful beer drinking buddy ever. Thanks to all of you.

It’s tough to get a read on Payton, still waters run deep and all that. He misses his mama but would never show it outwardly. Besides, he’s much too preoccupied with baseball at this time of year. If you are interested, the First Colony American 11’s are rolling again this year, winning their first three games by a combined margin of 41-6. I realize that I’m now venturing into bragging territory, but Payton is really playing well, as are his teammates. Some stats in three games against the all-stars from around Houston: 6 for 9 with two doubles, two walks, 7 RBI. The boy can play a little and he did not inherit a lick of this talent from me. But the competition gets tougher as they advance and we will definitely need all of our Greek mamas in the stands to cheer them on in the next round against West University which is the only other undefeated team left in the District 16 tournament.

Macy has had plenty of activities to keep her busy in Nancy’s absence. There’s been a humane society camp, a sewing camp, the aforementioned sleepover and tennis lesson this afternoon. Click to her blog to get her take if you dare. Be forewarned she has a pretty warped sense of humor, I’m pretty sure she did inherit that from me. She did mention her favorite part of Mom being out of town is the fact that Dad isn’t as punitive towards those who pass gas.

So all is well here. We want to strike that balance of being capable of coping without Nancy so she can relax and enjoy her long weekend yet being grateful that the absence is not too long. We can keep it together for a long weekend, but any more than that requires a bigger village. And to all of you reading from that village, I want to express my sincere appreciation for all that you’ve done for us over the past year. I think one of the best tributes to Nancy and what she means to so many people around her is the fact that dozens of people rallied to our side and got us through the worst of her “journey” if I can borrow her scare quotes. Thank you very much.