Trixie and I drove to the Midwest last weekend to see our Boilermaker and Spartan, Tyler, and Jacob, respectively.
“Let’s go, girl! We gotta go see our boys!” Thirteen and a half hours later, we landed at Purdue.
It’s hard to believe, but Tyler is in his senior year. Where did that time go?
Trix and I needed to make it out for one last tailgate at “Pete the Bus!”
“Pete the Bus” is special.
“Pete” brought Tyler together with friends who became his family away from home for the past three years.
Home game Saturday meant Tyler and Ryan trekked to Central Electric to fetch “Pete” and take him to the tailgate parking lot.
Complete with coolers, a fire pit, a big screen TV, tables, chairs, and lots of cheer, “Pete” was where it was at… and this past Saturday was no exception!
It was a gloriously warm and sunny Saturday in November. Tyler wore his Buddy the Elf suit, which he regularly donned for “Breakfast Club” on game days.
This Saturday, I got a better snapshot of how much the bus had become a part of Tyler after Pete’s owners, Scott and Molly, held an award ceremony. It was an honor and a nod to the last of the kids to experience Pete’s glory before he retires at the end of the season.
Tyler had become quite the regular at fixing the 25-year-old bus. You do a momma proud, “Bug!” I think, especially at the beginning of his college career, fixing Pete helped Tyler feel at home.
We need to feel needed…
The magic isn’t “Pete the Bus” though–it’s the magic of the people who visit and care for Pete.
And as many of us college graduates know, you realize just how special those four years are in the big scheme of things after graduation. The relationships made during those first years living out of your parent’s home, on your own, will last a lifetime. A special bond that can never be replicated.
As Scott (Ryan’s dad, the bus owner) and I reflected, three years ago, it was about keeping our kids in school. Tyler and Ryan would have packed up that first week and headed home if it weren’t for each other.
Scott and I both recalled the phone call we each received from our sons. They found each other, and they found their people. As parents, we knew it would be okay from that moment on. They were off!
I pray that as these boys head off in all their different directions next spring, they remember their days with “Pete the Bus”—the good times coming together to enjoy beautiful football Saturdays with great people.
Scott and Molly–from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making the magic possible. Thank you for caring for my son when I couldn’t be there and giving him another brother to navigate the ups and downs with at Purdue.
I think back to where we were, my first bus tailgate. We were embracing young men still trying to figure out the college thing. They had yet to learn what great things they were in for during the coming years. Together.
There was chaos, breakdowns, fun, laughs, and hiccups. Three years ago, I was embracing unsureness.
This weekend, though, I was embracing strength and an era ending. But coming out of it, a group of men who will forever have the memories and each other to fall back on in times of heartache and celebration as they get through this crazy life.
Hail to “Pete the Bus!” And amen for Tyler’s people!
With love,
Kate
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