Childhood Heroes

As children we look up to many people. We watch our parents behaviors and mimic them. We envy our older siblings and their supreme coolness.  We may even idolize teachers, athletes, or cartoon characters hoping to be like them some day.

I remember as a child writing a story about my hero, my cousin Shawn. She is beautiful, smart, she can sing like an angel, is an astounding artist and come to find out she writes astoundingly well also!  I think I've always looked up to her because we enjoy all the same things, and while I may not have been blessed with quite the talent she has, I can look to her as inspiration and feel blessed to have heard her music, seen her art, and read her most personal thoughts she was brave enough to share.

We've recently discovered Gavin has an idol in someone he only just met and it's adorable to watch! As some of you know, Gavin has wanted to be an Air Force pilot for as long as I remember.  Shannon was deployed a few times with an Air Force pilot named Matt or known more so by his call-sign; Radar.  Radar and his wife fly F-16 fighter jets. Shannon has always talked about how Radar and his wife fly planes, and have shown Gavin the F-16 in his airplane book. When Gavin heard they were moving here to Montgomery, he was so excited to meet them you would think they were famous movie stars!  Shannon and Gavin accidentally ran into Radar at the store this weekend and Gavin who is NEVER shy, started stumbling over his words as if he were a young teen trying to talk to a pretty girl! Hoping to impress "Mr. Radar" Gavin said, "I can climb trucks."  He paused for a minute and the look on his face for saying something so silly was equal to the famous line in the movie, Dirty Dancing, "I carried a watermelon."  He quickly said, "I mean trees, I can climb trees."  The next day Radar came over to our house right before bath. Gavin had a shirt on, but it was unbuttoned. When the doorbell rang, Gavin said, "Mr. Radar's here, hold on let me button my shirt." Gavin, a little more cool this time, opened the door and said hello and as Radar left he asked him for a high five. It was kind of like he was asking for his autograph.  There are high hopes in this little boys mind that when all of Radar's household goods get here, that Mr. Radar will allow him to look at and touch all of their very cool pilot equipment that they have accrued over the years. 

I can't wait to see their next encounter!