Sunday, June 24, 2012

Cinnamon Rolls and Busted Chops


“Are you sure we’ll eat those two cinnamon rolls?” I asked the boys.

“Yeah, they’re big, but we’ll eat them,” they seemed to reply together.

Our eyes grew big as the woman behind the counter brought us our cinnamon rolls.  I started to wonder if we would indeed clear our plates.  Good thing there were us three boys and only two of those humongous rolls.

            The trip was dual purpose:  I wanted to explore the downtown shops of our new hometown, and I wanted to spend some time having fun with my sons.  I’ve not been very good about getting one-on-one(or one-on-two) time with Benjamin, 12, and Jeremy, 8 so I took the opportunity to use a gift card for the Electric Brew just blocks from our new home.  We moved to our new house in Goshen Indiana just 3 weeks earlier.

            We took our two hot chocolates, two cinnamon rolls (one cream cheese frosting and one with caramel frosting), and one cup of the Bald Brothers Blend coffee to the outdoor seating.

            “What are we going to do?” Ben asked as we sat down.  He’s not one to sit still and enjoy the moment.  I had some work to do. “Can we take these and go?” he asked, pointing to the mis-matched ceramic plates holding our morning snack.

            Knowing this would lay the groundwork for future relaxation opportunities,  I had to act quick to make sure my boys understood the art of chilling.  “No, we’re just going to sit here and eat our rolls.” Looks of incredulity… -‘Think harder Brian’, my brain was telling me. When the going gets tough go for the potty humor: “We’re just going to sit here and relax eating our rolls and talk – ‘Shoot the bull’.”  That got the snickers and quick exchange of glances from the boys I was looking for.  We sat there and made our small talk.  So small that even now just a day later I don’t remember specifically what we talked about.  I do remember just enjoying the time spent with my two sons enjoying each other’s company and probably learning a little of how to bust each other’s chops.



            Mission accomplished – a little relaxation and building the foundation of greatly spent guy time.  All I know is I better have my “A” game, because those boys are quick studies and I could have my chops easily busted next time.