Really really proud of my son Brandon. He turned 16 at the end of May. He did a good job working on getting his grades up in school this year. He did a great job at his Architecture Camp at Virginia Tech in June. He was a big help throughout most of the summer...but still appropriately lazy at times. The yellow Ford Escape I bought in January 2001 when he was 3 1/2 years old became his this summer. We had to work on the braking system and a few other things over the past couple of weeks and we both learned a lot along the way. He won't get his license until January, but he drove the truck 4 hours down route 17 back to NC today under the supervision of his mom. The truck held up and he didn't crash it. He still has a good share of bad ideas, but he is learning to take responsibility for his actions. I am very proud of the man he is becoming.
It has been a long and difficult road. Last summer he left my full time care and went to live with his mom and stepdad in NC. This was a decision that all of us made, though it was particularly difficult for me. It is hard to let go. However, I knew it was going to happen anyway and someday, and it is what I had been preparing him for. Or maybe preparing myself for. If you saw him last year and saw him now, you would know it was the right decision.
Brandon went to be in a much smaller school and a much bigger social circle. That sounds a little strange, almost paradoxical, but it is true. He has really flourished there, and if he'll just apply himself to his homework he is going to do magnificent.
