A dream is a wish your heart makes...

This duplex in San Marvelous, Texas belongs to a former student who is now a senior journalism major at Texas State University. His wish was to have the "total college experience" in housing. Apparently, this progression is well known among the 18-22 year old crowd, because I used this term with a friend's child and she said, "Oh! You mean dorm, apartment, duplex and house?"

Apparently, I do.

C spent freshman year in the oldest dorm known to campus, atop the highest hill on campus. That made for a scarey night when the hurricane-generated winds were blowing in off the coast of Mexico. (And did I mention C lived on the 9th floor?)

Sophomore year was in a dorm that was actually a renovated hotel on campus. The students voted to fill in the pool. I think the murky, emerald green color of the water may have nudged that decision.

Junior year was the apartment where everyone was encouraged to take Sharpies from a large basket and write on the wall. (It took 7 coats of paint to cover the walls, and C was amazed that he got his deposit back. It was probably due to the fact that he still HAD walls compared to some of the other apartments.)

So, senior year is this duplex. (And, if this year stretches to two, the house is on the horizon.) C said his biggest surprise was that the first morning he was awakened at sunrise to screaming. Loud and prolonged screaming. Seems the privacy fence across the street hid a petting zoo. Those animals like to be fed early. Every day. (Note to self: always find out what is behind local privacy fences before signing long-term leases.)

You may see a well used and aging duplex. C sees a palace. He loves every square inch of it for the freedom and steps toward adulthood it represents.

My favorite part of the tour was when C showed me the backyard. It was at least 100 degrees that day. (A reoccuring theme in Texas this summer.) The backyard was scorched earth and cracked ground. But C saw two trees that were perfect for a hammock. He envisioned a place to read and reflect. When did I stop seeing potential like that?

You may wonder how I know so much about this former student's life. It's because C is my son; my youngest child. Through a set of interesting circumstances, I was his classroom teacher in kindergarten and in third grade. I wouldn't trade for those times!

Before kindergarten he was just a typical boy: he would never sit still long enough to work on reading skills. I sweated bullets that The Teacher's Child may not do so well in Reading Circle. Not to worry. He sailed in and effortlessly rose to the top of the class.

Being his third grade teacher was just a tad more difficult. C had a LOT of life in him. I can remember on more than one occasion saying to him, "Do you want me to use my Mommy voice with you?" Those words calmed not only C, but the entire class. Quickly. Everyone knows the "Mommy Voice". And respects it. Totally.

So, here's to my former student (and present son), C. Keep dreaming. Keep seeing places to read in a hammock, where the silly adults in your life see scorched earth. But you've made a believer out of me with the progression of The College Experience in houses. I have a hammock for you, son. Let me know when I can deliver it to your new senior year duplex.