Stages

'No battle plan survives contact with the enemy', is a phrase a lot of my military friends use. There should be a corollary to it, and it should go something like this: 'If you have a plan, forget it. Life will intervene proportionally to your need.'

So if you have nothing pressing that you must absolutely do, the world will let you slide. But heaven help you if you want to do one thing...

We're going to do a family together night. The wife and kids want to simply reconnect with each other. No TV, no computer, no phones. We might play cards.

Then the emails come in.

"Hey, do guys wanna..."

"There's a meeting tonight at..."

"Come on down and meet your friends..."
Nope, nah, not gonna happen. I have plans with my family.

And the time was well spent. I learned how my children did on their advanced placement tests. We talked about my oldest going to college. In all likelihood I'm going to have to rent a car or van and drive her up to Colorado in August. Even writing that sentence seems weird. It hasn't hit home yet. Mine were the first hands to touch her. Not the midwife, I brought her into the world. Seems fitting I'll be there to usher her into a new stage of life. Which reminds me, I'm going to have to take the time off from work to take her up there.
I'm not sure of the details, but this is where we are going. Personally, I'm looking forward to it... and all the laughter and tears that will follow.