Two Pots of Coffee and Four Boxes of Captain Crunch

My girls wanted to have a small group of their homeschooling friends over for a late night of playing cards, watching movies, etc. the way we used on occasion when we lived here. "Homeschooling" being the operative word which means that the late night part could be flexible. After talking to some of the parents, we determined it would be best if instead of having to be picked up at midnight, that everybody just stay overnight. Being able to stay in this lovely house that belongs to my friends provided this opportunity. The boys slept in the basement and the girls slept upstairs near me - although sleep seems the wrong word - we were talking and playing games until 3 am.
When I got up the next morning, Kameron was the first one awake, and he had made a pot of coffee. (Evidently he drew the short straw and got the floor or the chair to sleep on and didn't sleep all that much!) The weather was nice so we sat on the screened in porch in the back and drank coffee and talked for about an hour and a half before anyone else made an appearance. Kameron is like me, he needs other people and relationships to thrive. I get him.
It is an amazing thing to me to be in the lives of young people that I knew when they were small and see them grow up into these incredible young adults. I grew up moving around so much, and was always in so much chaos that I was in junior high school before I developed any long term relationships - and that was only because I had a friend that held on to me no matter where I moved. That morning, Kameron and I talked about all kinds of things. It wasn't what we talked about that meant so much, but that he is a 15 year old that values a relationship with me - and I with him. Somewhere along the road my lives intertwined with these kids - and they are almost like my own in my heart.
When everybody got up they started in on the four boxes of Captain Crunch cereal that I got for a quick and easy breakfast. Tayva asked if I'd ever move back to West Virginia, and I told her I'd only be back if Travis died. (off the cuff - which by the way was just a joke!) Just for a moment I thought I saw an evil glint flash through several sets of eyes!