Thanks again everyone.

LOL MommasKids - Yep, and it's more than just a hint of mischief too. He inherited it from his father. I recognized that look when he was still a baby, so I knew all along he'd be a handful. He's got such a good heart though.

One day really sticks out for me. He agreed to take me to a Chief Illiniwek protest, and he knew how important it was to me. He had to work an all-nighter the night before, and he was suffering miserably from a bad cold. Even worse, the weather was brutal with temps near zero and gale-force winds. His truck had no heat. Still, he was there first thing in the morning, drove me downtown, and stood out in that frigid weather with me until the protest was over. Wouldn't even go inside to warm up. I felt like an abusive mom for asking him to do that - he could hardly stand - but he insisted because he knew it was important to me. Whatta kid!

I haven't heard from him yet - said he'd call first chance he got. I'm a little worried because I'm not sure where they've sent him. He said he was going to a place in the desert called "Kitar" (insisted it was NOT Qatar).* We figured it was Yemen (Al Kitar), but then my husband talked with two men he knows from Yemen and they said there IS no base as my son describes in Yemen. He better NOT be in Iraq.

I'm guessing the military isn't like those school field trips - "Okay - everyone call your parents to let them know you've arrived safely."*