Walking Aware

             It was a sunny Saturday mid-morning as my husband sat next to his Dad while his brother BBQ up some good eats in our tailgating spot for the next BSU football game. I liked hanging out under the tent next to the street surrounded by hundreds of people dressed up in orange and blue. (Of course the only part of tailgating I liked was the foods and friends)

Now back in those days my brother Derek was attending classes at BSU the very same time and He had just moved into his very own apartment across the Boise river in the really nice part of historical Boise. 

I had loved his new place the very moment I first saw it for it was very classy!  He was very proud of his first place that as he showed me around he explained it was mostly for older quiet couples, since they liked him in the interview process, he had promised to be very respectful and not have raging youthful parties.

 And since He could ride his bike to the college campus every day, he would hang out there with all of his friends anyway. So his new place was simply perfect for him! It was so beautiful as well with a courtyard and small swimming pool. Almost every apartment had flowers in pots and bird feeders hanging. I truly thought it was a perfect place to live in the city limits....

Derek was always cooking up something while we visited that late summer/fall, he joked with me the first time I showed up with a box of dishes I thought he could use in his new kitchen, He jokingly said "I wasn't sure if I should tell ya where I lived.....knowing you would be popping over like this all the time." I replied back with a smirk "Whatever, I have a life too! I can't just come over here every day...I mean I busy too Like well, hmmmm...like I am gardening or walking Oscar every morning....so very important homemaking stuff I have in my life! I can't just pop over to eat your homemade yummy tortillas HA!" I took the plate he gave me with such excitement for they always tasted sooooo good! while

he smiled and shook his head. 

It was such a great location when he lived in the heart of downtown among the old mature landscaping and the classic styled buildings. 

I had told him all about our constant tailgating as the fall football season kicked on, we talked about all the best food dishes for such an event. Those were really good times back then, his first days in his own place!

I told him how proud I was of him for moving out on his own. 

I added "Mom isn't happy about this at all. She kept saying that you are going to come back home after this school year is over....and I thought that sounded like a huge hassle." 

Derek looked at me with a knowing look and thoughtfully said  "Nope, I am never moving back home." 

I left nodding proudly and chuckling at our shared understanding over how our mother always had such a hard time with any of us leaving home. She was always getting mad at our father who thought it was weird for us to still be home in our early 20's, for if she had her way we would all be neighbors on that farm.

So I joked back waving goodbye to Derek stating sarcastically "Well, At least you weren't disowned for finding your own place HA!" I winked as he nodded back and waved from his new front door.

The sizzling of the BBQ and tailgating activities had us all laughing and talking when Derek rode up on his bike, I was so surprised and thrilled that he had joined us for awhile, I dished him up a plate of goodies talking about how I cooked up the bacon for REAL bacon bits not like the prepackaged bacon bits in the store that taste horrible. He agreed with me stating "Ya can't cheat on the bacon bits, they are the main part of the dish!"

It was a fun tailgating afternoon as he ate with us and joked around awhile before heading back out on his bike.

My husband said "That was sure nice of him to swing by, are you guys becoming friends again?" I shrugged and smiled explaining "I don't know, I am just so very very proud of him for moving out on his own. Life is going to get so much better for him now......I think he's very happy about it all too."

I walked by the Boise river the other day realizing it feels like yesterday when he walked me through his first little home, and I remember laughing so much over his coffee table that was a big cardboard box turned upside down with a handkerchief laying over it. He explained "Hey, It works great! If I have to pack up again I will just turn it over and fill it back up."   

I walked by the Boise river in the same area of town where in our late 20's we sat a moment together watching the humming birds come by to feed on his balcony.

I walked on really missing my brother Derek.