He’s back… April 21, 2010

My mom wasn’t kidding when she said your adult children never really leave the nest.  After a year away in college, Matt will be returning home in less than three weeks.  He’s transferring to Hawaii Pacific University this summer and will run cross-country for the Sea Warriors this fall.

I’m not sure how I feel about him coming home.  It’s been kind of nice having only one child at home.  Let’s see, there’s less laundry, I buy less food and I actually get a full night of sleep since Micah isn’t old enough to drive yet and stay out until all hours of the morning.  I’m not sure Micah is thrilled either.  When we told him Matt was coming home, he assumed we meant for summer vacation.  When we explained it was for good, he thought we were lying.  I think he really enjoyed being an only child and who can blame him when he spent most of his childhood watching Matt compete in athletic activities.

If anyone is hiring college-aged kids, let me know.  Dude needs to get a job if he wants to have a social life.  Otherwise he’ll be tapping into the Bank of Dad this time around.  The Bank of Mom ATM is out of service until further notice due to insufficient funds.

One positive outcome of Matt coming home — I’ll probably have more content for my blog!

He’s home! Or is he? December 11, 2009

Yep…college boy came home this past Wednesday evening.   He looked the same, more or less.  Bushy hair that hadn’t been cut since August and some weird facial hair hanging from his chin (I told him to lose that right away).  He said he gained about ten pounds but he’s a naturally skinny kid so I couldn’t tell.

He ate dinner at Zippy’s with us that evening and then took off with Barry’s truck to spend the night in Pearl City with his friends.  He actually stayed home today with Micah, only going out briefly to train for track season and to pick up lunch.

So let’s review.  Matt has been home for a little over two days now and we’ve seen him for approximately four hours.  I’m also down $100 and we’re back to sharing just one car again.  How many more days until January 9th?

Can I cry now? August 18, 2009

Tonight was our last night with Matt.  We took him out to dinner (I’m actually surprised that he wanted to join us) at Texas Roadhouse.  This is a very popular steak house in Greeley.  There is a ton of U of Northern Colorado sports stuff all over the place.  Think the Applebee’s restaurant that’s featured in the TV show “Friday Night Lights” and you’ll get the picture.

After dinner, we drove him back to his school.  We got out of the car and gave him some last minute shopping purchases and said our goodbyes.  It was anti-climatic to say the least.  You see, Matt is a cave boy.  His usual form of communication is a grunt.  I don’t know why he’s like that because he was always such an outgoing child.  I suppose I can chalk it up to being a teenager.

So no, there wasn’t an emotional breakdown on my part.  Just a few tears as we got back in the car and a few more as I read comments from friends and family on my Facebook page.

I know he’ll be okay on his own.  I just wish I knew how he actually felt.  Is he scared?  Is he already homesick?  Is he happy to be away from us, particularly me?  (I’m guessing it’s the latter!)

All I can do at this point is hope and pray that he’ll make the right decisions and make the most of his college experience.  He knows how proud I am of him and how much I love him so I guess I’ll have to settle for the occasional long-distance grunt now and then when he calls me for money.

I’m ending this post right now.  Can’t seem to see the computer screen through my tears.

Colorado Updates August 17, 2009

It’s been a crazy couple of days in Greeley, Colorado. We arrived yesterday around lunch time and drove straight to Greeley, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Denver. After checking into our hotel and resting for a bit, we headed to the University of Northern Colorado to check out his suite. After dropping off some of his luggage, we drove to Target for dorm room shopping. I think we were there for about an hour and left $250 poorer! We then went to Best Buy to buy him a TV. Yep, another $300 out the door. That’s ok though…I didn’t have to pay for that purchase, Barry did!

This morning we went back to campus to get his ID card which is used for access to practicially everything on campus including his suite. Then we opened his bank account and moved all the Target purchases and his TV to his room. As we were helping him unpack and set up, his roommate Ben arrived with his parents in tow. They brought the refrigerator and microwave. I spent another $60 at the campus computer store to get Matt a printer and miscellaneous cables; another $70 for UNC apparel at the bookstore and we went back to Target yet again to buy more stuff that we didn’t remember to buy the first time around. You guessed it…another $200 out of my wallet. Granted, some of those items were not for Matt, but still!

So here’s a rundown on Matt’s fancy “suite.” It’s a 2-bedroom suite that shares a bathroom and a living room. The suite comes with free cable, free Internet and free phone service. I’ve included some photos with this post.

Matt seems pretty happy with this living accommodations. He was even happier when he found that his roommate Ben has a car on campus! I’m not sure when these kids are going to study because Matt brought his Xbox and he asked us to send up his Rock Band equipment. Sigh.

Micah is enjoying the greenery on campus. He picked a branch from the acorn tree to bring home. He’s never seen an acorn (except on TV) and he was happy to see a few squirrels. We’re also admiring the “Christmas” trees all around campus. They look like Noble firs but they have a bluish color. This campus must be beautiful in the fall when the leaves turn color.

More trip updates later!

This is the entry to the suite. Bedrooms across from the vanity.

This is the living room. Suite comes completely furnished.

The all important HDTV with a built-in DVD player. See the Xbox below? Unfortunately they have a ton of space in the living room so they can play Rock Band.

Matt’s bedroom. He also has a desk and a pretty good sized closet that has lots of storage.

I Can’t Believe It’s Here! August 15, 2009

Well, it’s a little past 8 p.m. and we’re going to board our plane soon.  The first leg of our trip to Colorado.  Matt finally packed today but he still kept his grandpa waiting when he arrived to take us to the airport.  After checking in, Barry, Micah and I made our way through security while Matt hung around outside to say goodbye to his friends.  Glad I didn’t stick around to see that!

I’m doing ok so far.  I’m starting to feel a bit “ferclemped” as Mike Meyers would say (I don’t even know how to spell that word, if such a word exists) but no tears yet.

I’ll try to post an update tomorrow after we get settled in Greeley.  Wish me luck!

Counting down until the big day August 4, 2009

It’s hard to believe but we’re taking Matt to Colorado next weekend!  Where did the summer go?  Matt has been enjoying his summer of unemployment.  How could he not when he has two walking ATMs in the house and no responsibilities other then his cross country training?  I think I can count on one hand how many times he’s actually spent time with us this summer.  Micah swears he hasn’t seen his brother in weeks!

I can’t tell if Matt’s excited about college or not.  He hasn’t done any pre-packing planning (like his OCD mother would) and the only things he’s decided to take so far are his i-Home system and his X-Box.  Never mind giving any thought to clothes and other necessities.  He hasn’t even purchased a laptop backpack yet.  I guess I should be thankful that he registered for his classes.

I’m going out on a limb here but I think I might actually survive the college drop-off without any tears (or at least minimal tears).  I haven’t seen my son all summer and frankly, he’s been driving me crazy with the all day/all night outings with friends, hitting me up for money and breaking curfew.  I’m actually looking forward to uninterrupted nights of sleep!

All kidding aside, I do expect the waterworks to flow on August 19th when we actually leave Colorado.  It’s not that I’m sad that he’s all grown up, it’s more the worries that come with letting go.  I worry that he’ll get caught up in the party scene or that he’ll do something really stupid that could end his college running career.  I know I can’t anticipate every situation that he’ll be faced with and I know that I have to trust him to make the right decisions.  Easier said then done!

Sigh.  What would Martha do?

Micah finds his groove (or in this case, his paddle) June 22, 2009

All of you have heard about Matt and his athletic accomplishments.  He is definitely the jock in our family.  Micah, our youngest is also a good athlete but has never really clicked with a sport until recently.  He played baseball for a couple of years and was a pretty decent player.   He’s also an excellent swimmer and was on a swim team briefly but decided that wasn’t his thing either.  I think he would be a pretty good golfer as he’s gone to the driving range with me and can hit the ball farther and straighter than I can!  Alas, he’s not interested in golf lessons.  At school, he participates in intramural sports like soccer but when we encouraged him to join a league he says, “no way!”

I think his aversion to team sports probably has something to do with his older brother.  Matt excelled in baseball before switching to running and he’s highly competitive.  Micah, not so much.  He’s perfectly content to be on the sidelines as Matt’s biggest fan.  If it gets too competitive for Micah and he’s feeling too much pressure or worse yet, not having fun, he’s out.  The coaching staff is also a key factor.  If he doesn’t click with the coach, he’s completely miserable.  We’ve been encouraging him to try sports not so he can be like his brother but because it’s important for him to be physically active and to have an activity outside of school.

He finally agreed to try canoe paddling and signed up with Hui Nalu Canoe Club a few months ago.  He’s been diligently attending practices and had not yet been selected to the race team until this past weekend.  He got called up to participate in the Father’s Day Regatta at Nanakuli Beach.  He competed in a 12 and under mixed team and they placed fifth in their heat.  He was so nervous about racing but the smile on his face after the race really says it all.  He told us afterward that he LOVES paddling.

We are so happy for him!  We’re glad he found a sport that he really enjoys and it involves one of his favorite things – the ocean!

Check out Micah's smile! That says it all!

He did it! June 8, 2009

Saturday was a momentous day in the Nakamoto household.  Our oldest son Matt graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy!  I fully expected myself to fall apart at the ceremony but I was remarkably dry-eyed for most of the night.  Probably because Matt was driving me crazy prior to the big day.  To say I was annoyed with him would be putting it mildly.  Hawaii Baptist has this tradition of parents escorting their child on to the stage at which point your child presents you with flowers and a gift.  Matt is not the most affectionate teenager but he actually hugged us.  I mean, he really hugged us.  That sort of got the tears going but I was determined to hold it in until I got to my seat!  The ceremony was very nice and I started to tear when he received his diploma.  I really started to cry when they sang their class song and Alma Mater!

Graduating from a Hawaii high school is such an awesome experience.  It was great to see Matt piled high with lei (we had to “unload” him twice) and I’m so impressed with the caliber of lei as well.  He had a variety of lei — fragrant floral lei, beautiful ribbon lei and of course, the ever generous money lei. We ended up bringing home nearly four shopping bags of lei, a gigantic balloon and several inner tubes (yeah, new thing that the kids give in lieu of lei).

Thank you to everyone who came to see Matt on Saturday.  We appreciate your support of him throughout the years!  Here are some pictures of the graduate and his proud family.

Grandpa and Grandma Nakamoto with Matt

Our family: Shawn, Matt, Barry & Micah

Grandma Linda and Matt

Taking off some of the lei so he can breathe!

Missing Dad May 30, 2009

Let me start by apologizing for not updating my blog.  To say my life has been chaotic lately would be an understatement.  I’ve actually wanted to blog for over a week but every time I got a spark of inspiration, something interrupts my train of thought.  

I feel like I’m in some kind of science fiction movie where the clock’s hands are moving crazy fast and I’m not.  I can’t believe Matt will be a high school graduate in less than a week.  Today we attended his final HBA Athletic Banquet where he picked up several awards including the top honor – Male Athlete of the Year.   Tomorrow is his baccalaureate and then on Saturday, he graduates from high school.

I don’t think it’s really hit me yet that he’s graduating.  If anything has been wreaking havoc with my emotions, it’s me thinking of my dad.  He would be so excited about Matt’s graduation and all of his accomplishments.  Being THE first grandchild and a boy on top of that, Matt was the center of his universe.  Dad, Mom and my sister used to fight over who would get to carry Matt first.  Not even a hello at the door, just “give me the baby.”  When Matt went to preschool, it was grandpa that went on his field trips and picked him up every day after school.  It was also grandpa that introduced candy and soda to my toddler son! 

I’ve been feeling sad lately because Dad should be here now to see Matt graduate.  In fact, he should be here to see the important milestones for all eight of his grandchildren.  He should be here right now driving me crazy about the details of Matt’s party (my family is probably cracking up about this…if you think I’ve got Martha Stewart issues, you should have met my father!). 

What makes me truly sad is that Matt doesn’t remember much about his grandpa anymore.  He doesn’t remember the over-the-top holidays with tons of gifts, singing silly songs, or having Papa read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” over and over again.  He doesn’t remember those days when he was so naughty that his diaper bag was packed and grandpa was waiting by the door for us to come home so he could send him away.   I never did find out what Matt did on those naughty days!

I’ve always believed that my dad’s biggest goal in life was to be a grandpa.  I just wish he had been given more time to enjoy his grandkids and spend his golden years with Mom.  So if you see me bawling at Saturday’s graduation, it’s not just tears of joy for my son, but tears from a daughter who has never stopped missing her dad.

“Mom! Why are you on Facebook?” (Part Two) May 4, 2009

So a few months ago, I ranted about how my 71-year old mother decided to join Facebook.  Her reason?  The Facebook CEO said that being on Facebook helps senior citizens prevent dementia.  Yeah, whatever.  Well the transition to having mom as a FB friend has been fine.  She’s friends with mostly family members and it’s not like she updates her page everyday so I don’t feel like she’s invading my space. 

That's Matt on the left with his cousins Sunny and Lane. All on Facebook and all friends with me! LOL!

Well the shoe is now on the other foot!  Today I found out that my son Matt (the 17 year old) is now on Facebook.  I discovered this by accident — not because I was snooping — but because Matt used the email address I set up for him to receive messages from prospective colleges and coaches.  An email account that mom and dad check regularly.  DUH!

I thought it was funny that he joined FB since I knew he had an active page on MySpace.  I suppose now that he’s college bound, he needs to move from MySpace (for high schoolers) to Facebook (college and everyone else).  As a joke, I sent him a friend request, convinced that he would reject me immediately.  Lo and behold, I check my FB page and the boy has accepted my request!  I am now friends with my teenage son.  Hmm…not sure if that is good or bad.  Some of his posts had profanity and I kindly reminded him (via a FB private message) that he should be careful about what he writes since colleges and coaches are known to screen Facebook to ensure that they are picking a student who will represent their school well (because it’s all about branding you know!).   I also see that he’s taken my advice and has made friends with his Aunty Keri.  I’m pretty sure he sent a friend request to Grandma Linda too. 

Geez, I thought I was so cool, being on FB and Twitter.  What’s next?  My husband joining FB?   Ugh.  I may have to unplug from the world of social media if that happens.