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A few days after we arrived in Vail, our family had a milestone to celebrate with Todd. It was National Signing Day for college football, which meant it was time for my youngest to sign his Letter of Intent with the college he'll call home starting in January.
And that college is...University of South Dakota!
We are so excited for Todd. He had a busy summer of recruiting trips and visits to various colleges, and it so happened that South Dakota was the very last stop on the journey. He and I were tired of traveling and ready to get home, and I remember saying a very specific prayer that after the last stop, Todd would have clarity about his decision ahead.
The visit turned out to be amazing! He loved the campus, loved the coaching staff, loved the athletic facilities...and he met some fellow recruits he really connected with.
As we left to drive home from South Dakota after that trip, it was crystal clear that Todd had found the right spot. He couldn't stop raving about the school and the football program, and I smiled the whole way home. He committed over the phone the very next day, and in the ensuing months, he's felt consistently solid about his decision. An answered prayer indeed!
Since National Signing Day was last Wednesday, Todd had to have the signing ceremony in Vail on our family vacation! This turned out to be perfect, because we all got to be together---and Todd's best friend John, who was on the trip with us, got to be there, too. Todd and John have played football together since they were little boys, so it was such a special moment.
And another fun thing we got to celebrate: The group of guys Todd connected with at the visit last summer all wound up committing and signing their letters of intent on the same day! Todd is so excited that his first friends at University of South Dakota will be his teammates.
As a football mom who has watched every game since this kid was a little boy, who rang cowbells and hollered and cheered for Todd for years, I couldn't be happier that he's getting to continue to play football---and that he's so pleased about the football home he's found. I couldn't ask for anything more.
On a related note, Ladd and I will be driving Todd to college (an eight hour drive from the ranch) in about ten days. The lump in my throat is starting to expand, and I've noticed the tears well up in my eyes a little more easily each day. Yes, I'm about to be entering the empty nest stage, but I'm not really thinking about that. What I'm thinking about is how I'm going to cope with Todd no longer being in our house on a daily basis. (Oops...I'm crying as I write this. Stop that, Ree!) I love the kid so much, and man oh man, am I going to feel the absence!
But I'm so happy for him. But I'm so sad for me. But I'm thrilled for him. But devastated for me.
We raise them to leave us---welcome to parenthood!
I’m a desperate housewife, I live in the country, and I’m obsessed with butter, Basset Hounds, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!
