Look Out Houston!

Today is Good Friday. Nicole and the kids had the day off.

Last Sunday while I was at work, while I had some down time, I "Googled" the TV stations for Houston, Dallas, Austin, El Paso and Corpus Christi. I went to each station's website and picked out one reporter at each station. I emailed them and let it hang from there. I got off of work at 11 pm and by the time I made it home at 1 am, I already had a response from Kristine Galvan at the Houston Fox station and Terry Hoff from one of the Austin stations. After weeks and weeks of no response to email after email to the newspapers around the state, in one evening, not one, but two responses of sympathy and interest in Grey's story. All week I have been talking with Kristine in Houston about a time to drive down and meet with her.

I am sometimes amazed at the ways things work out. Kristine was very interested and wanted to get together for an interview. It just so happened that for the first time in years Nicole and the boys have the day of Good Friday off. They have never had the day off. Perfection! Can you say, one day road trip? I was really worried about how we were going to get time for the interview. Nicole HAD to be there! She has had to take so much time out off from work over the past few months, and BAM! She has the day off? Thank you Grey!

Kristine had a new twist on things. She called me on Wednesday and asked me if we could bring the brothers with us. At that point, I had still hadn't approached Nicole about going much less even considered taking the boys. I really had to think about that.

When Nicole got home, I sat her down and we discussed my conversation with Kristine. I really have to give Nicole credit, the last thing that sounded good to do on her day off was drive to Houston. But she got it. She understood the possibilities in what Kristine could accomplish for our House and Senate bills. We agreed that a road trip was in order. Then I mentioned Kristine's interest in meeting the boys and doing some taping with them. I mentioned that I wasn't sure that the boys were ready for that. After all, Seth is still running from the room when Nicole or I watch any of the videos or listen to the music from Grey's memorial. Nicole's solution to this question was poetic and simple. Just ask the boys. See what they wanted to do.

It is only going to be 4 months on Sunday the 12 th of April. That doesn't seem possible. It feels like a lifetime ago since I held Grey to my heart. The response of the boys was what I was expecting. Luke and Seth in no way thought that doing an interview was at all something that they were ready to do. Luke, 13, has been very quiet about his grief and not at all comfortable with public displays at all. Seth immediately refused. "I can't! I'm not ready!" And Riley, he wasn't about to do anything that his brothers would not do. So that was that.

Problem solved.

So the boys stayed with Nana and we made the trip today. We left the house at 8 am and got to Houston by 11 am. The drive went great. I have been looking for any excuse to drive Nicole's new truck. Kristine was so professional, Matt the cameraman too. The possibilities are amazing. Being a major Fox affiliate, Kristine's work will go out to all the other Fox stations and they will have an opportunity to pick up the story. That is HUGE! I have been beating my head against a wall for weeks trying to get Grey's story outside the Austin, San Antonio corridor. A must in my opinion to get one of our Bill's passed. Now with just this interview, we might be able to push that wall over.

So here's to Kristine and Matt the cameraman! Thanks to you both! All I have to give is the heartfelt thanks of a Father grasping to make sense of the death of his darling boy. The two of you have had an important role to play in Grey's story and you will always be in our hearts for playing that role.