Blue Angels and Boyhood Dreams

My boys have never been much into action figures or superheroes but one thing they do love is the Blue Angels. Every year in August (on SeaFair weekend) we take the kids to watch the Blue Angels. It has become a family tradition that even I get excited about.

This year we weren't sure we were going to make it because Aaron had jaw surgery on Monday and was pretty swollen and sore all week. Even by Friday he wasn't sure if he was going to be up for it the next day so I intentionally didn't mention ANYTHING about the Blue Angels in case we weren't able to go on Saturday. During the week the boys were playing outside and heard jet sounds overhead ( I think it was the blue angels practicing over Seattle) and they got so excited. Then there was a DJ on the radio talking about them and I had to switch the channel really quickly before they heard. And then Friday night I was reading a story to Ben and pointing out a picture of a little boy who later in the book grew up into a man to which he immediately informed me: "Mommy when I grow up I'm going to be a Blue Angels pilot!" Oh man, I totally wanted to tell him we were going to see them the next day! But I still wasn't sure if we'd be able to and didn't want to get his hopes up.

Anyway, we did end up going to see them on Saturday. As always Ben needed ear plugs (because he is super sensitive to the loud sounds that they make) . The boys kept leaping to their feet and yelling in excitement every time they'd do an unexpected flyby over our heads or some cool formation.

Jacob's favorite was when two Blue Angels played chicken and at the last minute pulled out and barely missed eachother......

Jacob: "Did you see that Mom!"

Every time we go to see the Blue Angels at least one of my boys recommits to wanting to be a blue angels pilot. It always makes me reflect upon what they will grow up to be one day. When I was a sophomore in High School I actually wanted to be an F-16 pilot but when I went to the Air Force recruiter I was told I had to be an officer first which meant 4 years of college and acceptance into flight school which you couldn't do unless you had 20 x 20 vision. (Not to mention my concern for how this would disrupt my desire to be a mother). So with that dream dashed I changed my plans and settled for enlisting in Air Force where I served for 5 years before getting married and starting a family.

One of the things that I love about raising sons is seeing what their natural interests and ambitions are. I love that if encouraged and guided those dreams and passions can one day be turned into lifelong careers. My greatest hope for my sons, (no matter what profession they choose), would be that they find a job they love to do and that they feel passionate about their work. That is one thing that I love and respect about Aaron so much is that he is so good at what he does professionally. I can tell that he loves it and really gets excited about the projects he's working on. He enjoys the energy of working in a high stress environment and I can tell he really thrives on the challenge of figuring things out and making things work. I also like that he wants to be an expert at what he does. It's that type of drive and ambition that leads to success and I hope so much that my boys will follow in their father's footsteps and do something they love and that they're good at. Whether it be a blue angels pilot or a computer geek (like their Dad) I hope they'll be doing something that they love. A favorite quote I have (one that I want to paint around my boys bedroom) is:

"You never know what a boy is worth,
You’ll have to wait and see;
For every man in a noble place,
A boy once used to be."