Nick's spring break at home was the most significant event of the late winter, although following about a month of absolute frigid weather and heavy snow, we went to 70 degrees instantly. Nature is such a mess. And so is our yard, which has hundreds of flags preparing for the laying of more unnecessary underground fiber-optic cable. Our yard looks like the UN. Along with our roof which is losing shingles from the high winds of the past week.
Nick came home for a week, and generally hit all of his food stops and took naps. He joined me for a road trip to the NTEA Work Truck Week show, for work, which I attend annually with a couple guys from my team. I was nervous his credential wouldn't clear, so of course he got in fine and my media credentials got flagged, despite it being maybe my tenth year in attendance?! Nick got to meet Eric and Pete, but he wore out after a couple hours on the floor. He's not ready yet for the 8-10 hour day on one's feet working the clients. We stayed at my usual hotel, he experienced Amore for the first time (agrees it's the best Italian food he's ever had), saw the Disney movie Hoppers (we loved Diane the shark!) to pass some time (which I will do when I travel), and then enjoyed the trucks, powertrains. upfits, etc. at the Indiana Convention Center for a day. Well, half-a-day for Nick, who took a nap in the media lounge from lunchtime onward, with a hot pretzel mixed in. We hit Chicagos Pizza of Indy on the way home, which is not what it says it is, but it fed us.
When meeting the guys, he impressed them with stories of doing brake jobs on steam engines, which warms the heart of any engineer. He goes into details of 67" iron wheels, 50 lb steel pads, and the three men it takes to make it happen. Gotta admit, the work he's doing is impressive (well, volunteer, not work, he hasn't gotten to the paid work part, yet!)
And the rest was the little things... Lenten fish runs, Brandi and I visited Nick for an afternoon and watched the IT Basketball team play in their home gym v Madonna University, and Brandi baked me a cake (our first official cake from Grandma Little's cake pans) and then a pie for my birthday.
