Yeah! No.

My nephew, Oliver, will be starting his sophomore year in college this fall. Years ago when living in Questa, my brother and his family were vacationing in Red River. We had spent the day in RR with them. About ten PM we got ready to head home. My brother, Pete, began talking his son into going home with us to spend the night and coming back the next morning. Oliver was about four years old at the time and had probably never spent a night away from home. My brother, said, "Hey Oliver, don’t you want to go spend the night with Aunt Lou?" He asked this question so enthusiastically, that Oliver answered with equal enthusiasm, "Yeah!" Then his little face became serious with thought as he considered things, and he said, "No." Pete pumped him up with, "But it will be lots of fun!" Being all pumped up, Oliver hollered, "Yeah!" Then his face took on that serious look and he shook his head, "No." Once again Pete revved him up, talking him into spending the night at my house. "Come on Oliver; it will be a blast!" Once again Oliver agreed to go with enthusiasm, but then thought better of it. It was so funny to watch this play between father and son – Pete talking it up, Oliver agreeing, and then changing his mind so seriously. In the end, Pete talked Oliver into going home with me to spend the night. Oliver was excited – right up until he got to my house. By the time we got home, which was about a 30 minute drive, Oliver was ready to go back to his parents. Knowing the routine, I talked him into staying. Although, one minute he would be laughing with Bo and Jesse and the next minute he would be crying. One minute he would be brushing his teeth getting ready for bed and the next minute, his little head would drop and he would cry to go home. We managed to keep him happy and explained that we were not taking him home until morning. He sucked it up and made it just fine, but I wanted to kill Pete for talking Oliver into something that Oliver was not sure about.

To this day, I remember how his little mind worked that night getting so excited, thinking yeah it would be great to go with Aunt Lou. Then thinking that he really didn’t want to go – all of the expressions right on his face and in his voice. Yeah! No. Yeah! No.

I mentioned that Toby has signed up for 25 miles in the Hotter ‘n Hell in Wichita Falls later in August. Jesse and I are considering signing up, too. Jesse thinks we can do it. It did look like fun at the beginning of the Dehydrator as Toby did that race. My friend C. Looney, who lives in WF, says that the 25 miles is like a big party and anyone can do it. I’m thinking with a last name like Looney, I should not listen to her. Part of me is enthusiastic – Yeah, I can do it! Then I think about it for a few minutes – No, I can’t do it. Yeah, I can do it! No, I’m 50 years old. Yeah, I can work up to it. No, you are over weight. Yeah, it will be good exercise. No, it is too hot. And so goes the story.