Too old for this stuff...

The older he gets, the more J complains about various aches and pains. It doesn't stop him, however, from playing golf, basketball or softball whenever he gets the chance. As a kid, J played a lot of baseball and basketball. Basketball is definitely the game he loves the most. Truth be told, however, golf is his game of choice at this stage of his life. While he still loves basketball and baseball, they are too hard on his aging body for him to play very often. (Sorry J...but you know it's true!!) If we're in town, he plays golf almost every Sunday during spring, summer, and fall with the same group of guys. They play into the winter as long as they can, but it gets wickedly cold here, so they do have to stop at some point.

A few years ago J was given the chance to play basketball on a team his company put together. I'm not sure how it happened, but they traveled from the Tri-Cities all the way to Portland to play. I happened to be living with my parents and student teaching at the time, so we drove three and a half hours south to watch my guy play. It was pretty cool! I had heard stories for a very long time about how he played, but I had never had a chance to see it myself.


You know me, though. I can't just leave well enough alone. When J told me he was going to play basketball for a team his company was putting together, I couldn't resist teasing him. I gave him a bad time about how they only picked him because he is freaky tall. And, at that point, he was the youngest person in his office by 10 years or more. So, of course, I made sure to speculate about how age factored in, too.

I'm sorry. I know some of you may think it's mean, and that I should not tease him so much, but I can't help it. It's who I am. Once you get to know me, you know that teasing is one of the ways I show I love you. If I don't tease you, I'm not comfortable with you. (It doesn't mean I don't like you, it just means I don't know you well enough to give you a bad time.) Given the amount of teasing J puts up with from me on a daily basis, it's pretty obvious I love him best of all the people in this world. (Does that make up for the aging body comment I made earlier?)

I know J likes to play basketball, but at that point he hadn't played in several years in a real game. He didn't hesitate to sign up, however. Did I mention that the guy organizing the team sought him out in particular?? I think J got some sort of secret pleasure out of being a 7ft. tall young ringer on a team with fat old company men. That's what I accused him of, anyway!


It was a lot of fun to finally get a chance to see him in action. He looks so YOUNG!! And tall. He really looks tall. Look at those long arms and legs. If he were one of my students, I'd call him spindly. Or skinny. How about gangly? Angular? Gawky? Rangy?

Because I don't want to hurt his feelings, (and I don't want you to think I'm mean) let's go with lanky. Lean and lanky. But sturdy. And muscular. Solid. (And I mean SOLID...his legs look skinny, but they are all muscle!) Cute. Athletic. Hot. Yeah, that's a good one. Hot.

This word game could continue for days. Weeks. Months. Years. Decades. Eons. Ages. Eternity. (Sorry. I'm an English teacher, and I'm in school now. My brain is working overtime.) So let's just quit while we're ahead (sort of) and call him what he is: special. But in a nice way, not in a special ed way.

Don't get your panties in a twist. And don't chastise me. I'm just teasing.

Kind of.

Just know that teasing is just another way of saying: I love you, J. Forever and always.

Here is - finally - the photographic proof that J was the tallest, youngest, hottest guy on the court with a bunch of fat old guys from his office. He was about 25 or 26 in these photos.