Man, we’ve been on the road a lot in the last 2 months! Most recently we went to Texas Tech in Lubbock to see my daughter graduate! It was neat to watch the ceremony and look back on the years she’s been in there, but how the heck 4 years has gone by escapes me! I guess that’s what happens when we get older-they say it does anyway. Fact is, the ‘older’ folks warn us about time moving more quickly as you get older, but we don’t listen because usually, well, we’re younger and think we know about all that. Well...they’re right. So four years ago we dropped off our little girl with mixed emotions of hope, anticipation, excitement, and some sadness too. It’s a strange feeling that everybody’s parents could tell you about…sort of. Overall it’s a positive expectation of a bright future ahead!
My daughter’s degree is in Interior Design, with a minor in Architecture. The interior design program at Texas Tech is extremely demanding, and in that field, their program is one of the finest in the country. Now I should mention a word of caution here. You see, while your kids are off learning, you as a parent can’t help but learn things too! Things such as an understanding that Interior Design is not all about picking paint colors and fru-fru decorations! In fact, my daughter was quick to point out (in a most annoyed way) ‘DADDY, WE’RE NOT PILLOW FLUFFERS!’. There was a very heavy CAD component, understanding of ADA, building codes, fire, electrical and general local codes where applicable, as well as structural information and probably some other things I forgot. The architects may design the overall building structure, but the interior layout including even such things as outlet locations and door locations for internal spaces, and so many other things, right down to the furniture, and yes, color and decoration schemes, all are part of the job of an interior designer. So wow, I sure never knew all that beforehand!
Four years. Man. I remember something getting in my eyes as we left Lubbock that fall-must have been the dust out there. Funny it wasn’t a problem on the way in… So began lots of weekend trips of either us heading out there or her coming home. A surprise birthday trip that first fall, and the subsequent event centered road trips there on out. I even got to fly to Lubbock to do an emergency repair on her car so she could come home at one point! I’ll mention here that I hate car alarms-worthless pieces of crap that annoy everybody and disable your car when they malfunction is what I say. Anyway, a free plane ticket, a view from a few thousand feet in the air, some minor surgery and viola! We were on the road home with time to spare! We got first hand images of crazy flooding one year. The football field, most of campus, water was everywhere and DEEP! Then there was a haboob. Yes, haboob is what I said. Quit snickering, this is a college level event! The word ‘haboob’ has an Arabic origin and simply means dust storm. BIG dust storm! We’re talking, stay inside, don’t open any doors or windows, and hope you can figure out what your car looks like afterwards when everything in the parking lot resembles giant piles of red dust! We went to a corn maze, got apple butter from an orchard, made all our trips through Benjamin, where slightly west they actually have road signs warning of wild hogs crossing the highway! The roadside views of spectacular country and huge ranches like the 6666 (four sixes) and the Pitchfork, the cattle, the horses, cowboys (real ones) wild pigs, coyotes, deer, Betty Boop painted on the side of an old gas station.. All the things that are really cool but you begin to view as commonplace when you make so many trips back and forth. We’ll be missing all that stuff!
To be technical, we will likely have one or more road trips to Lubbock still in our future. The Interior Design program is actually slightly longer than four years, so my daughter has a few more classes to finish up over the summer, at which point she will get her diploma and officially be transitioning into the job market. We look forward to that next chapter as well as welcoming her back home at least for a while as she searches for that first career step. Congratulations to the class of 2012!
