I guess there are many things in life that we all look forward to experiencing. A few examples are the first day of elementary school or maybe the day you graduated from high school when you knew that a new world awaited but at thesame time you were leaving many friends that you might never see again. You may also remember your first day ofcollege or that glorious day when you graduated. Maybe you remember the day you turned 16 and could legally drive, orwhen you turned 21 and could legally drink alcohol.

In my case, my 50^th birthday was a wonderful occasion. I was convinced that I was supposed to work at a charity auction, and I was expected to wear a tuxedo, which I did. I showed up at the address, entered the facility and to my embarrassment, I was the only one wearing a tuxedo and it was a surprise party that I will never forget. Another specialmemory is when my children were born, and the many years of taking them to school, watching junior high football, basketball games and many tennis tournaments.

Now, another chapter in my life will take place this weekend. Vicki and I will be flying to Oregon to attend my son’swedding. This will be the first wedding of my three children. My son, Matt, has been living in Oregon for the last sevenyears and is marrying the sweetest, kindest young lady named Molly. To say the least, we are very excited to welcome herinto the family.

I remember like yesterday when Matt, who was 21 years old at the time, flew to Oregon on a vacation and he fell in love with the state. Soon after graduating from college, he announced that he was moving to Oregon without a job and didn’teven know anyone there. Of course, I pointed these two important facts out to him, and he responded that he would find ajob and of course, he would meet new friends. I remember thinking to myself that he would be back in Texas in six months or a year, so I offered to help him move. Well, the trip took three days of driving in a Toyota Takoma truck with afour-cylinder motor, loaded with most of his belongings. Why is it important that I mentioned it had four cylinders?Because, in the mountains of Utah and Idaho, I was driving on the interstate and I could go fast enough to pass numerous trucks going downhill, but when I started going uphill, the little truck didn’t have enough power, and the other trucks would pass me up time and time again. So, it’s now been seven years and Matt still hasn’t moved back to Texas, but he is very happy living in Oregon and for that I am thankful. Since being there, he has completed his master’s degree and tosay the least, I am very proud of him. Surely enough, he has made numerous new friends and has found employment there.I am very proud of Matt for accomplishing everything on his own, which is something I probably would never haveattempted.

So, to Matt and Molly, I wish you both the best and may your happiness together be filled with wonderful memories.Just one more little thought…I don’t have any Banner grandchildren yet!