Boys will be Boys

Tyler and his buddy Jake reviewing their flys for the annual Oregon fly-fishing, river-rafting, camping, man trip. I think Jake has stopped by three times this week, which is about what we see him per year, if you don't count the Oregon trip. Jake and Tyler are tenting together. They are in cahoots with each other BIG TIME! The other guys should be nervous. Very nervous.

There is something funny that happens to my husband a few weeks before a fishing trip. It begins to consume his thoughts, actions, and conversations. His cell phone rings more with calls from his buddies who are also focused on the upcoming fishing trip. He send emails with weather, water, and topigraphical information and receives emails with headlines like, "We're gonna slay us some hogs." (Really, I saw this one on his desk at work last week.) Last week I saw another fisherman who was headed on the Oregon trip and asked him if he was ready. He said, "No. I am physically ready; I have all my stuff. Mentally, though, I haven't gone back to be 12. You have to be a 12 year old to really enjoy this trip." So profound. I knew, when Tyler told me he bought a gorilla suit and was downloading BigFoot stories, that this trip was taking a turn for the juvenile. He swore me to secrecy, to not post any of the preperations on my blog (because other wives sometimes check in and these matters were of the upmost importance.) What was he keeping from the other guys? The element of surprise. I guess the gorilla costume is for nighttime dress up to spook the other guys. The BigFoot stories are a tradition, I'm told, and heavens knows we've watched enough documentaries this past year to build up Tyler's stock of "sightings." So while Tyler is telling the other guys about his research around the campfire one of the other guys (Jake or James, I guess) will be dressing up and running through the trees, rustling the bushes. Doesn't that sound fun?

When Tyler told me about buying an adult size, full blown gorilla costume, I told him to wear it home and see what the kids said. Brock was so torn as he was ready to freak out, but Brevin was on to us from the get go and kept saying, "Dad? Dad? What are you doing? Dad? Why are you dressed up like that?" so Brevin was a voice of reason in such a confusing situation. Caylee came out when she heard Brevin calling Dad and kind of laughed. Mackenzie, on the other hand, was walking out of the bathroom when Tyler "roared" at her and she screamed/jumped 4 feet in the air/hollared at us/and slammed the bathroom door. It was hilarious. (Who's 12 now? Ugh, that would be me.)

The piece de resistance, however, in Tyler's fishing trip planning was a little dress up outfit. I can't make sense of WHY he and Jake wanted to do this. I am not sure why it's so funny; other than it's pretty disturbing, but mostly because they are also tenting together. I knew they were serious when, while on a double date with Robin and Jake a few weeks ago, we shopped for itty bitty compression shirts for the boys. Those tight work-out shirts. And I am serious, they are like young men, not young men leaders when it comes to some of this stuff. Monday night before they left, Jake finished the ensemble by dropping off "drag shorts" (for swimming) off to Tyler. Yeah, Jake's outfit matches. When Tyler modeled his outfit Monday before bedtime I couldn't resist taking this picture. Again, only after I promised to post it once they were on the water, did he pose for me.

Sexy, huh? I'm sure this beaut will fetch me 38 comments, at least. Right?