I'm dewinding from a 2.5 hour whirlwind trip out and back to see my lovely (tall) niece play her senior basketball game at her high school in Illinois. And, my other niece play on the team as well.

Cody went with me and we sang Christmas songs at the top of our lungs. At a c-store, he told the clerk he liked alternative music like Reliant K, and she shared her favorites too (Nickelback).

At the ballgame, his shrill voice was heard by his cousins on the court who smiled and looked up when he said things like: "Be a legend, Meagen!" "Do it for Elvira, Micah!" (Elvira is their grandfather's mule) I'm used to people turning their heads and smiling at the funny audible kid whom I should gag at times. But, unfortunately, I'm laughing at the things he comes up with too.

Then on the way home, as we passed the Arch glowing in the air, above the dark rippled Mississippi, Cody commented: "It's soooo beautiful .... Woooo, the arch is hot! Those big buildings want to marry it and have babies."

Which led him to asking the question: Why did God make girls so, you know, pretty?

And then he wanted me to tell him the story of Rudy, the Notre Dame football player, for about 30 miles. He astutely commented that Rudy was a good rare person.

As we were drivng down our road on the final leg, we talked about his sister's moods, and I said that I worried about her. My little godsend said, "She'll be alright, Mom; she's just a teenager right now and she'll grow up to be a good person like you one day."

Ah, my heart is full of interstate wonder at such a cool gift of a kid. I think more road trips are in order.