Happy Birthday to the Bambino on His 21st Birthday

Today, my bambino turns 21. I should probably stop calling Timothy “my bambino” but I’m the mom and I can do what I want😉; besides, how is it even possible that I am a mom to a 21-year-old?

So. Twenty-one. I could write an introspective post on what a mature, responsible young man he has turned out to be. Or that he is still holding a 4.0 grade point average, all while being involved in campus activities, the Catholic Center, and intramural sports. Or how he keeps us entertained, knows everything there is to know about cars, and would like to meet the guys from Top Gear. I could also mention that he does NOT like to read fiction (a definite flaw in an otherwise stellar young man) but you know that already.

What I really want to talk about is Timothy, my Travel Buddy. He may be Joe’s Sports Buddy, but he is my very own Travel Buddy. Whenever we accompany Joe on one of his work trips—Washington DC, Kansas City, California, etc.—Timothy and I are on our own while Joe attends meetings. We take the subway into DC, the train into San Francisco, and a rental car through the serpentine roads of Lake Tahoe. We map out our days, plan our meals, and look for adventure. He (begrudgingly) takes a selfie of the two of us. He has excellent navigation and map skills.

He is also a good sport because in his role as Travel Buddy he has been dragged to many an art museum—ALL the art museums in Washington DC, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City (this one TWICE), the outdoor sculpture garden in New Orleans, the High Museum in Atlanta, and many, many more. Excluding myself, he has probably been to more art museums than anyone else in the family. See? A good sport. Of course, each visit comes with assurances of lunch, a souvenir (usually a Lego), and a promise that we will leave at a predetermined time. 

And yes, he groans and he moans and he complains but we manage to have fun ... especially with modern art because it makes us laugh. That red triangle on canvas? A piece of pizza! That rope sculpture? A brownie! When he is not associating artwork with food, Timothy is the most articulate art critic and uses words such as stupid, dumb, boring, and idiotic. 

All this to say that I love my Travel Buddy, whether or not he loves art museums.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Timothy!