Brilliance strikes at the most unexpected moments...and I had one of those moments this weekend. I am an only child, but I have been blessed with several cousins that I have a very close relationship with. I was the only kid in the family for 11 years until Matthew was born. I sure wasn't happy about it at the time and I was extra glad when I found out my Aunt was having a boy - princess syndrome could continue! Mia came along at a stage of my life where I was finally excited to have another girl to do girly things with and teach the art of being high maintenance. My weekends are spent with Mia and Chase or with Matthew and to be honest I would rather spend time with them than almost anyone else. It may sound weird to people who aren't accustomed to having a close knit family, but I wouldn't trade it for the world...I have 3 cousins who have turned in to 3 friends that are stuck with me forever!
Matthew turns 16 in October and he loves sports cars. He thinks it's perfectly acceptable to expect a Lamborghini for his birthday and he might settle for a Mercedes if he has to. Being the cousin and friend I try to be, I spent Saturday evening during our early Father's Day dinner with him and talked to him about what was a reasonable car expectation for his first vehicle even though he has wisely saved his money for most of his life so he could buy whatever car he wants. I got the glazed over look from him until my strike of brilliance. I told Matthew that if he spends his money wisely and gets a reasonable vehicle such as a family car that's been offered to him or something else less expensive then he could use the rest of his money he has saved and I would use my travel agent perks to take him anywhere in the world he would like to go. I got his attention! Matthew gave me a wide eyed look as I explained to him that we could go anywhere he would like to go - just the two of us, no Mom & Dad. He's a big LA Lakers fan so I suggested we could go to California for a game on his birthday and combine in with a couple of days at Disneyland. He smiled at me and nodded his head at that idea, but then his wheels started turning. If he could go anywhere in the world...
Matthew countered my California offer by asking where they make Lamborghinis. We went to good ol' Google and found out they make the super sports cars in the Tuscany region of Italy and the Ferrari factory is nearby. I told him the BMW factory is near Munich Germany and we looked at the Bugatti factory in France and the McLaren factory in England. He narrowed it down to Lamborghini and Ferrari since they do tours of the factory and there is a museum so we looked at the cost of plane tickets and talked about what a trip like that would cost versus California. I explained to Matthew that a trip to Italy is certainly doable but it would have to wait until he had a longer school break such as Spring Break or as soon as he gets out of school next year whereas if he wanted to go to California we could actually make a long weekend out of it and go on his birthday in October.
He's a smart kid and has learned at an early age how to get the most bang for his buck so currently he's inclined to continue saving his money and hold me to my word about "any where in the world" because when I talked to him Monday night I asked him if he was still considering my offer and he said yes, but he was looking at Dubai now since they have super sports cars as police cars there.
I spent Sunday afternoon with Chase and Mia and told them about my offer to Matthew and that I would make that same offer to them when they turn 16. All they have to do is save their money, continue to get good grades in school, and continue to be the well behaved kids they are. This could be a dangerous thought since they are only 13 and have more time to plan! Chase loves baseball so I mentioned the idea of going to Chicago or Boston or NYC for baseball games and he told me that was boring...how about Costa Rica! Mia didn't even start on the small scale ideas as her first destination of choice was Australia! Or maybe Nairobi to see the giraffes! I did the math and figured out that Mia and Chase each turn 16 the year I turn 30 so we could have big birthday celebration trips that year!
While these 3 dear cousins of mine may break the bank with their ideas, I would love nothing more than to be able to travel with them and help them to fulfill their dream. My Mom always told me that friends will come and go, but family is forever. I am so grateful to have these cousins and be able to be a part of their lives as they grow in to incredible friends and adults.
Can I be one of your cousins?!?
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