This past weekend we made our annual Holiday Season visit to Branson. We head down there quite a bit over the course of a year. Having grown up near another touristy spot, Wisconsin Dells, I find Branson rather nostalgic. Just the right blend of natural beauty and unnatural tacky. Anyway, we love to visit...especially around the holidays when the area shines from Silver Dollar City to their new, on-the-waterfront joint called The Landing. This year was little different, however, because our oldest sons had to stay home....leaving us two cards shy of a full house.

They had good reasons. The oldest had to work and the other had a debate tournament. On the Branson end of the deal, we had fun and it was a little less expensive, with dinner costing me only the shirt off my back, rather my shirt and pants. But we did miss them. As I've said before, I'd rather have my kids around and annoying me than not around and worrying me. So, I was on full worry mode...sure SOMETHING would happen. SOMETHING!

Now, these boys are not little kids. In a matter of months, the oldest one will be, more or less, on his own at college and the second one comes and goes pretty often, already, with work, swimming and debate crowding his calendar. Still, leaving two teenagers to their own devices is a little unsettling. My wife left a detailed list of things to remember including " let the dog out in the morning...lock the doors...keep your cellphones charged and with you...don't get the burnt toast out with a fork...review where the valve is for turning the water off to your toilet, just in case...in fact, just go out in the backyard." Well, she didn't actually suggest the last part, but it did come to my mind when I considered the possibility of coming home to an indoor tropical rainforest.

We've all heard the stories of parents going out of town and the kids deciding it is a perfect time for a "get-together." One person I know, told me that his child decided to have a few dozen friends over and, in order to avoid suspicion from neighbors and passing authorities, put up signs in the yard saying "Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty!" Gotta give the young person points for creativity but he still got caught. Garrison Keillor has a wonderful story about a couple leaving the farm for a fishing trip, forgetting something at the house and circling back to discover a major celebration in progress. As the story unfolds, for a lot of funny reasons, the dad ends up having to borrow money from all the kids at the party and then gets back on the road.

Well, we got back early Sunday morning. The sun was up but the sons were not. The dog was not walking on his hind legs with his knees together so it was clear he'd been out while we were gone. There was no water dripping from the ceiling. The power was still on. All very good signs. There was actually a message written on the piece of paper my wife had left out labeled "Messages." It was from grandma. We found out later that grandpa had asked the boys if they had the house ready for the party they were probably going to throw. Thanks for the help! The kitchen was clean. There was still cereal left. And, more importantly, Oreos. The living room was picked up. Now, it might be funny, at this point, to say I opened a closet and eighteen kids tumbled out or we went upstairs and discovered a goat dressed like C. Everett Koop in our bedroom but those things didn't happen.

What did happen? Our debater was barely home due to the tournament and put 1.7 miles on the car...the exact number of miles to and from the school. The college-bound boy had spent his time, with the house pretty much to himself, filling out scholarship forms and writing admittance essays. I did notice, on the caller ID, my wife had made roughly six thousand calls to check on things. Turns out, there wasn't anything to check on.

NOTHING HAPPENED! And, that's NOTHING to be thankful for!