A Bright Orange Shirt

This past Monday and Tuesday Ryan and I spent a couple of days at his home for the next four years - Oklahoma State University. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that a member of my family will be living in Oklahoma instead of Texas! After all the comments I have made from the pulpit about Oklahoma over the past eleven years I guess I'm getting my payback.

We were at OSU for orientation and registration. It was sort of the culmination of the past 18 months or so of Ryan deciding where he would go to college. He started out looking at OSU, then changed to Texas A&M with a little bit of Texas Tech thrown in for good measure. But when all was said and done he chose OSU. I did make him apply to Baylor and he was accepted rather quickly, but I failed in getting him to follow his mothers example and mine by going there. I was resigned to the fact that Ryan would be the one to choose his school and I can honestly say I had decided I would be happy for him whatever his decision. But I will say that last Friday as we were decorating the house and backyard for his graduation party, with all kinds of Orange things I was a little glad I was not putting up maroon!

We do have some Aggie things around the house because his mother jumped the gun at Christmas time and bought some of those gosh awful things. But not me! I told Ryan I was not buying anything that wasn't green until he was certain of where he was going. Last Tuesday when he came out of registration with his official OSU student ID card in hand I said let's go to the spirit shop. Less than 15 minutes after he got the card I bought my first and second orange shirts! Bright, slap you in the face, orange mind you. I bought an orange polo shirt with OSU on the chest and a t-shirt that says OSU Dad. I will proudly wear them both over the next four years any and every weekend of the year except for the Saturday in October of this year when they play Baylor! OSU even had the audacity to schedule Baylor for their homecoming! I will be there that Saturday hoping that Ryan's first homecoming is a great one except for the outcome of the game!

Tami and I are very proud of Ryan and all that he has accomplished during his high school years. We are very excited for him as he gets ready to go off to OSU. I've been told how hard it's going to be about the second week in August when we drop him off in Stillwater and drive away for the first time. I know its true and I'm not looking forward to it, but I am excited for him and for the experiences he will have while there. Most of all I'm proud of the young man he has become and the great things he will do in life. I am and will always be his biggest fan and cheerleader and I will proudly wear that bright orange shirt on many occasions and tell everyone that my son is an OSU Cowboy!