Timing is Everything

Just before PurDude went off to college for the first time, he started calling me "Karen". College Boy does now and then, but PurDude does it pretty consistently.

I don't have a problem with it. It's my name, after all. Although I don't object to being called "Karen", I miss being called "Mom". I do acknowledge that he's not doing it to be disrespectful, I see it as his establishing himself as an adult. Semi-adult anyway. Either way, I get his timing.

Every year before PurDude goes back to school we take his car to be checked out and have any repairs done. Since I had been unexpectedly in Boston for 2 weeks and arrived back in the Midwest just a week before he was to leave, the automobile check-up wasn't as well planned as usual.

Hubs and I dropped the car off at the mechanic's which was near our house but nowhere near Hubs' work. I was going to take Hubs all the way to work in his car, then drive back home and use Hubs' car for the day. PurDude would take my car to work, then after work, he was going to have to go all the way down to Hubs' work in rush hour traffic to pick him up so they could go get the car. Yikes.

I decided instead to have Hubs drop me off at home and take his own car to work. I'd have to drop PurDude off at work, then drop College Boy off at work, then pick PurDude up at work and go get his car. A pain in the ass but it inconvenienced the least number of people (ie: me).

We dropped the car off, Hubs took me home and drove to work, and at 10 am, an hour before PurDude had to be at the pool, I got a text that his car had been worked on early and was done.

PurDude and I picked the car up. It took us 10 minutes. We came back home, he showered and dressed and drove his own car to work. College Boy took mine and no one was inconvenienced (well, other than my credit card . . . but I digress). Gotta love timing.

Around here, in fact, pretty much everywhere, I am known as the laptop jinx. So, of course, the day before PurDude left for college my laptop died (yes, again). It would not come up at all. It took PurDude a couple of hours but he fixed it. One more day and I would have been out of commission. For bad luck, it was pretty great timing.

Three Step Grilled Italian Chicken

About a week ago that dreaded day finally came. I cooked my youngest his last homemade dinner of the summer vacation, We ate together as a family for the final time until I get him home again (98 days, but who's counting?). And as PurDude left for college the next morning, the last thing he said to me was "I love you, Mom".

He called me "Mom."

And his timing?

It was perfect.

Three Step Grilled Italian Chicken

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes 

Directions:
*Mix together the salad dressing, olive oil, Italian seasoning, oregano and red pepper flakes. 
*Place in a gallon bag with the chicken pieces. Refrigerate overnight.
*Spray your cold grill with nonstick spray and heat to medium. Grill the chicken, turning once, until juices run clear. Should take about 10 minutes per side.