home away from home

this past weekend, i was finally able to make it out to my godfather's home in the suburbs. now let me give you the background on my godfather. he is my dad's best friend since first grade. so that makes them best friends for 46 years...whoa...he also networked me through the company to help me land my internship. his family consists of his wonderful and entertaining wife (momma little), his 13 year old theatrical daughter (d-little), his 11 year old "such a boy" son (son little) and the family's dog (puppy little). i have nicknamed them as a whole the little family. (only a couple of people will get this nickname. i hope it makes you laugh.)

the weekend was exactly what i needed. after accidentally pulling into the wrong driveway and ringing the wrong doorbell, but calling the right home phone number, i was greeted by son little who helped me like the gentleman he is with my bags. totally embarrassing. nonetheless, the most important part of my weekend was to be able to hang out with my second family, the littles'.

it was so much fun hanging out with d-little and son little on friday night. we enjoyed a very easy, very tasty dinner from chipotle and then rented the movie baby mama. a perfect night with two perfect tween/teens; however, i did not realize how late it was and immediately got d-little to bed for her morning soccer game and allowed son little to play ONLY 15 more minutes of video games. that was a joke because of course he simply did not have a clock to watch the time, and i accidentally over slept my alarm that was suppose to alert me to check on son little to get ready for bed. wow, i definitely had my first old lady moment.

the following morning, i was the total soccer mom. i drove d-little and puppy little to the soccer game. we did have a little mishap. my godfather's directions took us in the opposite direction of the soccer fields. we found ourselves driving in what i call the boondocks and d-little calls the doonies. it was not that bad because we got lost in the prettiest golden cornfields. i wish i would have taken a picture..dang it... after calling my godfather and figuring out the correct directions, we made it to the soccer fields. i had the perfect set-up. i sat on a comfy folding chair with my camera in one hand waiting to snap action shots and my phone in the other, just in case an important phone call came through the wire. underneath me, puppy little sat content and quiet in the shade.

the game was way more intense than i expected. it was very fast paced. i caught my self yelling for the girls running up and down and trying to kick the ball into the goal. d-little played both defense and offense. i got some great pictures of her and even made a couple of whistles in her honor for her great team efforts. the ending score was 3-2. it seriously came down to the last seconds when the shortest girl on d-little's team kicked the winning goal. it made me smile because after the girl shot the goal, d-little picked her up and congratulated her with a hug. it just goes to show d-little's kindness and her team player mentality. to celebrate d-little's victory, i treated her to lunch at panera bread, where we both stuffed our faces and stomachs.

later on in the day, my godfather and momma little arrived home from my godfather's downtown business meeting. we gathered up the whole clan to go and watch son little's homecoming football game. it reminded me of home in my younger years cheering on my guy friends at their football games. after a touchdown being scored by son little to tie the game, it was into overtime we went! the opposing team scored the first touchdown and missed the extra point. so it was all in the favor of son little's team to score a touchdown and get the extra point to win the game. well, son little scored the second touchdown, but the team missed the extra point. so not a win but a tie game. it was fun to see the smile on son little's face. we were all so happy for him.

for dinner that night, we traveled into the neighboring town and ate authentic mexican food from my godfather's favorite mexican restaurant in the area. i would like to mention the enchilada was delishy and the atmosphere definitely reminded me of my favorite mexican joint from home. as soon as we got back home, i tuned into the auburn-lsu game. i could not see the score on the tv because of the settings for the screen. so i waited patiently when they always announce the score before the tv breaks to commercials. auburn was winning 21-20! i was so pumped. lswho? quickly, i took puppy little out to do her business with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. getting puppy little back in the house and nervously sitting on the couch, it looked and sounded like we were winning. finally, the last pass was thrown and the teams ran to the middle of the field. well, i immediately realized auburn lost within the last seconds of the game by the look on tubby's face. the ending score was 26-21. oh well, you win some; you lose some. at least auburn put up a fight this weekend. that's all that counts.

sunday morning brought another beautiful blue sky with the perfect temperature and a cool breeze. momma little, son little and i met up with my godfather at their church for a wonderful service with a great message. i thought to myself, "too bad this church is a hour and a half away.." the pastor was so into the sermon and related his message to the everyday joe. i thoroughly enjoyed myself.

following church, my godfather made the perfect deli sandwiches. i jokingly asked him if that was how he landed his job at the company, which he joked back, "yeah, they saw my potential." as we finished lunch, it was too pretty to stay inside, so my godfather, momma little and i all went to hit the tennis ball. now i have never been the expert at tennis, but i manage to have fun. after a couple of good serves and one or two solid hits, we gathered up our gear and headed back home to start dinner.

i was so excited to finally have a home cooked meal. tonight was even better and more special. my godfather was grilling steaks! my absolute fav. now of course, my dad is the ultimate chef/griller; however, his best friend can definitely hang with him. the night ended perfectly. my second family and i ate a delicious meal and had wonderful fellowship. the conversation was very entertaining. there is awlays something going on in d-little's and son little's head. it is like their minds never stop. i cherish their childness and always try to keep a little within me.

my night ended early, with saying my goodbye's and my thank you's to the little family. i assured d-little and son little i would be back sooner than later. as i crawled into my little daybed in my little room (that is now designated just for me), i realized how truly blessed i am. in a place so far from home, i fit perfectly within a family that reminds me of my own. their kindness and love for me is endless and enduring. their door is always open for me to walk through. their hearts are always open for me to be loved by. i am proud to call them my second family and my home away from home.