Peace Out ASU - E38

Clancy Denton  0:00  
Welcome to the loud quiet. Ooh, empty nester. Okay. What does that mean?

Rick Denton  0:06  
I think that actually probably is the theme of the empty. What are we doing? Let's do this. Let's do this thing. Is this Recording. Yes. Okay,

Clancy Denton  0:15  
great. Sans, children just us we need a tissue box up here to follow along on our journey and maybe you know we can learn from others.

Rick Denton  0:23  
I don't have a clue how to be an empty nester there.

Clancy Denton  0:25  
This is the loud quiet, living the empty nest.

Rick Denton  0:31  
Everybody welcome back to the loud quiet after a little hiatus wasn't a hiatus of life. It was a hiatus of just episodes. But glad to be back record and sharing stories with you all and sharing stories with each other on episode 38. That we are finally back. Yes.

Clancy Denton  0:47  
Yeah. It feels like we weren't gone for a month. And you'll see why when we get into our 20 photos that we have. And that's cutting them down.

Rick Denton  1:00  
We just scared our listener.

Clancy Denton  1:03  
If you listen to the episode before we did talk about how we were headed to Arizona for Tanner's week of graduation celebrations. And yeah, you'll see by date. By Sunday, we got there Saturday by Sunday, you and I looked at each other. So we feel like we've been here for four days. And it's been one. Oh my gosh, it

Rick Denton  1:26  
was it was a full It was a fun. It was a filled week

Clancy Denton  1:29  
for sure. It really just it was just a lot of fun. And we did everything the child wanted us to do if he asked we said yes, this is. And luckily, that summer, they had their little, a little bit

Rick Denton  1:48  
and we'll get into it. But there were there. There were times that we were allowed to leave so that they can continue on with their group. I

Clancy Denton  1:56  
think I made the statement of I felt like I've been hit by a bus several times. And I wasn't drinking I know. It was like talking about it for sure. Yeah. So anyway, so we started get into it. Yeah, we laddered Saturday. Yes. And we ended up we actually changed earlier flight because the weather we weren't sure and the bar crawl started. And we're like, you know what? We were just getting excited. We wanted to get there. We wanted to have fun with him.

Rick Denton  2:23  
What did you just drop that in there? That was so good. Like the bar crawl started? Yeah, so the first thing after landing is Yeah, and

Clancy Denton  2:31  
actually it was really funny because we got to the bar crawl before Tanner and his crew showed up. So we're walking up to the first stop that we were going to meet him at. Well there's two of Tanner's friends Gabe and Zoey waving at us like Hey, come on. So we hung out with his friends before

Rick Denton  2:52  
that is kind of fun as a parent to know not only know your kid has great friends but to enjoy their your kids friends accompany even without your kid. And

Clancy Denton  3:03  
we've been able to do that because for the past four years we have gone out there and every time we go we take a group to dinner or two groups to dinner and so we have formed relationships with these kids over the four years

Rick Denton  3:18  
now I realized you actually skipped two elements of our are starting the bar crawl even before we got there. So first I had my cocktail on the plane there decided that I wanted to start the bar crawl at what was it? 42,000 feet 600 miles an hour at nine in the morning. Yeah. And then we went wild

Clancy Denton  3:36  
turkey at night in the morning is oh so pleasant.

Rick Denton  3:41  
And we went to fuzzies before even starting that which is a good choice get your chips and queso when your belly first and

Clancy Denton  3:48  
fuzzies was actually a stop on the bar crawl but we just passed up to that one was kind of lame. So So yeah, so Tina kept telling his friends. My parents started the bar crawl before we even did. Okay.

Rick Denton  4:01  
And it's on the Hill Avenue, which is the restaurant bar at walking distance from campus actually technically attached to Catholic campus, if you will, in the hotel that we stayed at this time was walking distance to there, which was

Clancy Denton  4:13  
a mate. I mean, if we did anything right on this trip, it was picking the 10 B mission poems to stay at. He walked everywhere, right every ceremony every bar restaurant that was around that we were going to it was awesome. Yeah, it was that was that was a it's a beautiful hotel. The scenery is beautiful. Oh, that was another picture that I put in there. That didn't make it. Yeah, something was going wrong with that. You can put it in post. But yeah, great. scenery and everything. Yeah. So night and that. For anybody who's listening to this with kids approaching graduation. We I don't know what it is for every other school but we booked this hotel I

Rick Denton  4:58  
think, am I going to exact Right when I say August of last year, it was August, September timeframe. So almost a year in advance. Yeah, booking it, which allowed us to be at the hotel that was close, which allowed us to do that. And

Clancy Denton  5:10  
in a place like, if you want to stay in Tempe, near campus, you have to do that, you know, clean hotels can stay out anywhere. But yeah, we wanted to be close. So, see, so this was the Sun. This is sun bar. That's where I took this photo at. And it was just one of the stops on the mini stops that we did. And, I mean, I just love it. For those of you that know, Tanner, you know, it's pretty much like the mayor of town has come in, you know, I mean, he just every, every place we went into Tanner, or you know, and I we met the first week of school, and, you know, he just has his, he has so many different groups. And it's just so and you know, hearing your son is so nice. And you know, he's just, we've really loved being with him and the friends and, you know, it's just, it's fun to hear, you know, and then you know, and then you get the gossip of like, you know, someone walked by and Tanner was like, I hate that guy. And I overheard him say I hate that guy

Rick Denton  6:21  
in reverse back to tell them. I was like,

Clancy Denton  6:25  
I've never heard someone say that about Jana. And once I got the story, I was like, Okay, well, yeah.

Rick Denton  6:31  
So it was the the crawl itself was something that is beyond what is usually yours and my entertainment capability, the the volume and the thumping bass. And by the end of it, we actually I still have a little bit of a soreness in my throat from not being able to talk at the end. You were screaming at it, but it was just it was fun. Got to certainly well, some of us got to drink it every bar meeting people they're talking to. And

Clancy Denton  6:59  
this was day one. Well, the amount of elbows. But

Rick Denton  7:04  
what did I say? More body parts and have more body parts touch me and these

Clancy Denton  7:08  
buttons because it is so fun when they see that you're a parent. They're like, oh, sorry, excuse me.

Rick Denton  7:16  
It isn't the service was incredibly polite. And so are the overly crowded bars as these kids would kind of, yeah,

Clancy Denton  7:22  
so we made we made our stops to the ones that you know, Tanner that they like to go to. And then the last one we went to was the grossest one. And Tanner was like, Yeah, we don't come here because it's gross. I was like, Well, why are we here now?

Rick Denton  7:38  
So huge. Yeah, store. Yeah. But some of the stickiest floors and just kind of a grody vibe. Yeah.

Clancy Denton  7:45  
And I did notice every like one we'll get into every time we watched by there at any other time. There was no one in there. So that one must be kind of.

Rick Denton  7:53  
I said for that's way too early, or that's one

Clancy Denton  7:57  
where underage kids can get in. Because all the underage kids were gone at this point, because finals were done by Oh man. So yeah, so that was fun. And then. So then, as we were getting into our Sunday, which you and I went and hiked. We met Tanner for lunch. My parents and brother and sister in law were driving across country, and they got to go through Tucson and they picked up Tegan. So Tegan got to show my brother and knew her campus and also my parents. They had not seen her campus yet. And this is a picture of for all of y'all that is by the turtle pond, which is a really neat little corner on campus that you know, has live turtles in it, and

Rick Denton  8:44  
they take care of, if you look at it, and especially because it is Chad neum it looks like this is a picture from Thailand.

Clancy Denton  8:50  
And that I actually asked him I said, Did you love the palm trees? And she saw Montana's campus too, but she was like, yes, it's so I'm sure it made her feel like home more than Germany. But yeah, so Tegan got to show him around and they went to lunch and then they they

Rick Denton  9:09  
were able to bring Tegan and that's one thing, right? I always spend too much time thinking and enjoying this but I will just say that the logistics of this trip. It is amazing how it coordinated the fact that both of our kids were at universities that are an hour and a half apart from each other. There's no way that Tegan could have gone to Tanner's graduation and successfully done her finals if she were to school almost anywhere else. It

Clancy Denton  9:33  
just depends because and move out. Because most of Tanner's roommates siblings were there that go to different schools they just now that a lot of finals are online. It worked out but now if she would have had her math final like it was supposed to be scheduled the no she wouldn't have been able to because she would have not once in person but the

Rick Denton  9:53  
logistics really did work out. That's great that your parents could even swing through on their way to see Tanner at bread and chatting to him and bring her up there. Yes. Was amazing how this all worked out in this week.

Clancy Denton  10:05  
Yeah. And so then that that night we did our family dinner. We didn't have any graduation festivities this day, except that we had planned this dinner. And bang bang,

Rick Denton  10:18  
which, no, it is not a first time and Tanner mentioned that to me. I actually asked him I thought it was a say a rifle range or gun range. No, it's It's a Asian inspired very heavily Japanese inspired but also wider Asian food. Again, oh, this was a place it was on the pub, or the bar crawl as well. It was because it was thumping club music and still had some of that at dinner.

Clancy Denton  10:42  
It's a restaurant and it's a club. But they had it going this night that we were there that club music was pumping. So

Rick Denton  10:51  
your parents are the exact opposite end of the table for me. And so as Tegan, I didn't say a word. Yeah. Because there's no way we

Clancy Denton  10:56  
can't Yeah, food is great. Yeah. neum God, she loves sushi. And they can't get that in Germany. So she was very happy to have sushi. And yeah, we just had a great, great time

Rick Denton  11:07  
family there and be able to have this again, so close at a place that was enjoyable to all.

Clancy Denton  11:14  
And Tanner was really appreciative that, you know, they made the cross country track to be there. So so it was good. You've

Rick Denton  11:22  
even understated it, not just cross country cross globe. Terrific. Yeah, Chad knew. That

Clancy Denton  11:28  
is true. So so yeah. So after we went to bang, bang again. So this is day two. After we went to bang, bang, then we went to Tanner's, I would say, you think this is his favorite?

Rick Denton  11:41  
I don't know if that I can answer that. I can say it's mine. This is one

Clancy Denton  11:44  
of his favorite, Casey Moore's. We've mentioned it before.

Rick Denton  11:48  
I don't think we even need to describe a house in a

Clancy Denton  11:50  
very low key. Here we are here each

Rick Denton  11:55  
sound like such an old but it was nice to be able to talk and one

Clancy Denton  11:58  
of 10 or several of Tanner's friends from one group showed up here because they wanted to meet his aunt and uncle and they wanted to, you know, so yes, but so yeah, so this was us that Casey Moore's

Rick Denton  12:12  
I don't think I looked at that zoomed in. I think the bags under my eyes are beginning to grow in earnest there. It was nice to turn into bed that

Clancy Denton  12:19  
yeah, so this was Sunday night. So yes. So then now one thing that

Rick Denton  12:23  
I don't know where we're gonna put the video in, but this is where we actually took our first Waymo. We took out from

Clancy Denton  12:33  
back to Yes, because we dropped Tanner OFF and T on the way. Yes. So I want to talk about what the way. I mean, Waymo is real simple. Yeah, it's a driverless car. Sure. But not, it's only in three cities in the United States. It is.

Rick Denton  12:46  
It's an it's just like the Uber app you ordered up, it shows up. And as you approach the car, you have to hit the little button for it to unlock because the first time we got to the car, we're poking around. We don't know how to do it. But we get in there and Hello, Rick, as soon as you sit down. Oh, I forgot. We put Tegan on the way mo first, but Hello. That was the next day. Yes. So we wrote this. And it is the most surreal experience at first, but then we came to love it so much that that's

Clancy Denton  13:16  
totally over. Yes. Even in Rochdale. We took

Rick Denton  13:21  
neighborhood trips, these were out there. And so yeah, I'll roll a little video while we're talking here. Because it'll, it it makes its turns it knows how to handle traffic lights and unprotected laughs It knows how to do that. It was really strange.

Clancy Denton  13:36  
And we you know, it was nice that we did it. And that's kind of why we did it because we wanted to make sure how it everything worked before because it's awesome for girls. Yeah, that, you know, we can put Tegan in the way mode she don't have to worry about some creepy Uber driver not at all Uber drivers are creepy but you it's just something you don't even have to think about. And so that was very nice that yes, we could just put her in for her quick little trip back to the hotel to take her final the next day so so yeah, so the way Mo was really fun it was it was just another thing added to the trip that you know we didn't expect to do but then we ended up just falling in love with it. I'm like keep saying. Yeah, and I don't know how much here because I don't care. I still want it to be Austin is where I would like to bed and I think it would thrive there. Here maybe down by SMU it would here but so anyway so yeah, so the next day Monday this was the day of the to the main ceremony, the honors one which here's the four roommates. We did a champagne toast before they headed to the Barrett this

Rick Denton  14:49  
is their townhome let's jump on that first. No first of all, this is the cleanest it's probably been since they lived in it because they finally cleaned it for us to be in there. This is the kitchen. I didn't see a kitchen like that. I don't know, since we had a grown up house, so they

Clancy Denton  15:02  
live in a nice, nicer than ours. I mean, well, I like their marble better than ours. But so yeah, so all of the families gathered, it was really nice. We got to celebrate them before they had to leave to be at there. And it wasn't there.

Rick Denton  15:18  
ammonius Well, yeah, it wasn't just the boys and their parents. This was we had our parents had full siblings,

Clancy Denton  15:23  
lots of folks. Yeah. aunts and uncles. Yeah, it was it was just a fun. And they could show off at our house and yeah, and here's our Yeah, speaking of family, this is our family picture. This is outside of their, the front of their town home. Again, beautiful. I mean, you can just pose anywhere in around his campus or, and it's just you're gonna have a great backdrop. Every time

Rick Denton  15:49  
and the picture was suspect. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. Just bluebird sky. Cloudy. When was the cloud either way, but it was most gorgeous.

Clancy Denton  15:58  
Little windy a couple of the days. But well, but it was hazy. When you and I went for our hike on Sunday. We're like, why are the clouds real? Because the clouds did roll in. But they enrolled by the time graduation. You know, by the time they got to. That was Sunday. So anyway, so yeah, so after we did our little champagne toast, and we all headed over to his beret ceremony. I guess I didn't put any. This was after it. But um, and then this was Rachel and Jerry. Yeah.

Rick Denton  16:31  
So one of the good things about family that that is not able to travel. Great. Every ceremony is streamed and so I know that Tanner also appreciated. Jerry. And Rachel, being able to watch this in Arden courts where my mom is where my mom at the time was in memory here. Yeah. And so seeing him walk across. Yes. Me.

Clancy Denton  16:55  
So yeah, it and I will say here is Tanner with my parents. I just put that one because we're in enough of the pictures. But I was so impressed. I was so impressed with this first one. Oh, yeah. And every ASU event we went to was done so well. I mean, so Well, I didn't have any. The speakers were all great that they were so efficient. Everything was well run. I mean, this this one had the smallest amount of people and it lasted the longest just because it was the Honors College. So there was a lot more to do. And we'll put the video clip of him walking that he got later we can put that in and post but yeah, it was just a really fun. He

Rick Denton  17:47  
said several times. ASU if they do anything they do events. Yes.

Clancy Denton  17:51  
And again. It was so nice that we could walk here. My parents and Chad parked in the parking garage, walked. Then after we went over to post Dino which is we may have mentioned Tanner's Yes, favorite restaurants. This was the only hiccup we had because our table got screwed up. It ended up. But I had done so much to make. I mean, tailor made this reservation two months ago. I told it, you know it, so it ended up fine. But it was irritating that because you know I had done so much planning for everything. But it ended up telling

Rick Denton  18:32  
well, and there was actually a few life lessons to throw in there because I had to put on my cranky boy pants and a phrase that I don't use often, because it's very snarky, but when he was describing something to me, and I said to them, Well, no, that's a you problem, not the problem. And it was magically a table that appeared and so we were able to get it. And

Clancy Denton  18:52  
we got every appetizer for free. And we had so much food. And Tegan already gone. I didn't even think about that she's already gone from this picture because she had to bless her heart, go back to the hotel and take her Spanish final. So that's when we put her in the way Mo and she was like that was so cool. She really liked it.

Rick Denton  19:14  
That was gonna wish those were in Tucson. This is the one that postino has. It's $6.06 before five or something like that. No five, five for six or six before $5 Bear pitchers of beer and $6 glasses. We were there for 50 order. Yeah. And I asked the guy went to the cut off. He said, you know, five o'clock, but go and bring two pitchers. And Tanner was like I think the proudest he's ever been it was. Oh, well, Dad's learned postino now, so

Clancy Denton  19:42  
yeah, great time and a couple of Tanner's girlfriends join us so friends who are girls Yeah, yes, yes. So So then that evening, you Tegan and me. We went back to this is the big commencement is what it's it's the all

Rick Denton  20:03  
of the this is the full university commitment. So all of the colleges are there. So we're talking about nursing college, we're talking about graduate, we're talking about design and all

Clancy Denton  20:14  
of that engineering all of the they don't

Rick Denton  20:17  
walk in this new. What I did think was somewhat funny about you and me here is we realize that bear it was a ceremony we wanted to see. And we invested a lot to make sure we were there. We were seated. We all that. This one we're like, we'll get there. They were playing pomp and circumstance,

Clancy Denton  20:35  
as we're walking into the stadium. We timed it perfect. Actually,

Rick Denton  20:39  
we didn't have to worry about waiting that much. And it's because your kids not walking across the stage or whatever. So you kind of just I wanted to see it to experience the big scene. And it really was kind of neat to be Yeah,

Clancy Denton  20:50  
it was it was fun. Tegan had a really she, you know, she ended up coming with us, because she finished her final and she was like, Oh, that was really fun. It was beautiful. We got to sit outside. This was on Monday still so and we had Tegan with us? Well, I guess after every graduation ceremony, CASA is the place to go to which we have been to Casa on Parents Weekend. Big bar. Well, we had Tegan with us. No, she was our excuse. Oh, we can't go but we'll walk by and we took a picture of Tanner and gay with their fraternity stoles on and

Rick Denton  21:29  
that's the thing. All these guys are wearing red stuff. Toolbars Yeah. Yeah, they want it and then after a while, Tanner we'd already left hand or realize, Oh, shoot. I'm waiting. So I

Clancy Denton  21:41  
was here. Yes, I was. in my pajamas in bed. I get a text from him. Hey, can y'all come back over here and grabbed my stuff? It's like hey, no. So yeah, so he sent home with Gabes parents who happen we we went to insomnia and got cookies instead of

Rick Denton  21:58  
I always I said cookies over coffee. I do like that they do that? Because the fact that it is this entertainment district right there right campus so they do they wear their gear. It's fun people celebrate. It's just this is a neat part of how ASU handles their graduation.

Clancy Denton  22:15  
I mean, they robes are going to have to be burned because they've been in so many hours and just gross. But we

Rick Denton  22:24  
had one more ceremony to go. Oh, yeah.

Clancy Denton  22:28  
So then we move into Tuesday. I don't know you and I went hiking or Oh no, that's the day we walked with Teton because she was still with us. We were putting her back on a shuttle to go back to Arizona so she could get packed out but

Rick Denton  22:42  
so before we get into kind of the what happened on the rest of Tuesday do want to just stuffed on we won't talk a lot about it on this episode. It'll certainly be in a future episode as well. But this was a this week had a lot in it. And on Monday, the day of all the graduations, we actually we got word that my mom who we've talked about this before has been suffering from Alzheimer's for years now that it was likely that she would be passing within hours, maybe days, but at the end was going to be very near. And that was news that was certainly challenging to receive on Monday that you're celebrating. So we're trying to mentally balance celebrating and that. Well on Tuesday, we did find out that not find out. My mom did pass away on Tuesday. And so that that happened there. Just want to acknowledge it in this episode. We'll talk certainly much more about that. Because in a way, this is kind of how we treated that week as well that well, no, we are grieving but we're also celebrating we don't want to impair the celebration. And and so while that did happen on the Tuesday, the celebrations continued and the graduation week continued Tana was in the car when Rachel called and let us know Tegan was in the van going back so

Clancy Denton  23:57  
chose not to tell her until she got back to her dorm. You don't really want to be on a shuttle of people when you find out something like that. But that we had told the kids that morning that it was likely that she was going to pass that day. So but yeah, it did. It did make for a little bit of a roller coaster of emotions this week, but I every time I would text someone that I was telling I put the caveat in there. We're not changing anything because she would not want us to change anything. So yeah, absolutely.

Rick Denton  24:27  
And we'll we'll let's move right back into the graduation celebration just like we did, but it would be wrong to not acknowledge this happen this day.

Clancy Denton  24:35  
So So yeah, so that evening was the big roommate party, the four roommates and families. It was great. One attainers roommates moms did an excellent job of arranging everything we had, you know, barbecue catered, she had cake balloons. I have other pictures but Other people were in them. And I didn't get people's permission. But I mean, it was just the setting was beautiful this they they were Airbnb. That is one of their friends. And I mean, the backyard was so nice. I wish I would have gotten more pictures of like, the table is so sad and everything I know. Yeah, we know

Rick Denton  25:19  
it's Arizona, but it had those kind of California vibes of where it's the outdoor dining. And you just and that's one dad

Clancy Denton  25:23  
took a picture. And I don't know if we'll ever get it or not of us all at the table. But I don't know if we'll see it. But it was a great evening of just sharing hearing stories that we hadn't heard before. You know, finding out what everyone's future plans are. And, you know, these boys have just revealed,

Rick Denton  25:41  
like you said, sharing stories. Sounds casual. We won't tell the stories. Yeah, but this was a night of reveal.

Clancy Denton  25:47  
So we got to it was a week of reveal. I think at every stop I heard a new story that I was like, Okay. Anyways, they all graduated, they all graduated with very high honors. They're all good. But But these boys have such a special bond. And a lot of it has to do with they couldn't go anywhere their first semester of college because they were the COVID babies and so they were stuck in their rooms doing class entertaining themselves, you know, so they just have a bond that and the parents have been in turn been bonded because we've seen each other every time where their parents weekend and, and the moms have a group chat and so so yeah, it's it was just very nice to celebrate them and celebrate with everyone. For them, so and then where did we go after that back to Casey?

Rick Denton  26:48  
Because it was walking way mode to this party, but then was was

Clancy Denton  26:55  
locked back to our hotel after we left our child. And again, this is Tuesday, Tuesday. Wednesday, we went

Rick Denton  27:07  
to dinner with him. That was oh, that

Clancy Denton  27:08  
was his nice dinner

Rick Denton  27:09  
we did at the dinner, just the three of us. steak restaurant, bourbon and bones.

Clancy Denton  27:13  
That was the day that after we gotten the news, we realized we needed so you and I went for a hike. Then we went and got massages and then we went to the pool and then we went to a very nice, nice dinner steak dinner that at a place that we haven't been to before. And it was it was a very, very good,

Rick Denton  27:36  
good day. It was it was so great to end with celebrating. It was great to relax before. Yeah, that was chill Now was this picture. This was Thursday.

Clancy Denton  27:46  
Going into Thursday now. So yeah. So Thursday was Tanner's last graduation ceremony for his College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. So I wanted a picture in front of the Barrett Honors fountain. He wanted a picture at Sun stop liquor. If you're watching.

Rick Denton  28:03  
I think the best line from this visit was he was Do you have the picture of him shaking hands? So he goes in there and the guys know him. Yeah. So there's a relationship there. Now some let's not paint Tanner's this just now, the hit establish relationship because the guy was a Liverpool supporter. So they talked about soccer, they had a relationship, they're talking through a lot of that. Tanner said, you know, it's been great knowing you these two years because he realized he couldn't say four because two of those years he probably wasn't supposed to be in there.

Clancy Denton  28:36  
This was their this liquor store was literally a block from their freshman dorm and where he lives sophomore years. Yes, this is right next to there. So they frequented and Tanner continues to go there when he's buying stuff for parties or buying stuff for gifts and yeah, I think one of my brothers said isn't the legal drinking age 21 I said well not for Tanner didn't from Missouri. And all of you who have kids our age that everyone knows about the whole fake IDs have come a long way since

Rick Denton  29:13  
we're not advocating Yeah, no, no.

Clancy Denton  29:17  
So anyways, graduation robe and he when we went in the owner that he really likes was there shook his hand gave him a flask for congratulations and so yeah, so then we went on to one of our favorite that was one thing I will say we did. We tried to hit every one of our favorite restaurants in in Tampa Tempe and Scottsdale

Rick Denton  29:40  
we don't know when we're going to be back Yeah, right and even when we are going to be back it's not going to be the same right? Yeah, if we go because this was sushi holiday. We went to she she Holic and actually we went to Hillstone before again, gosh, everything sitting

Clancy Denton  29:54  
outdoors is so nice. So nice. Everything Everything is open air. I mean all of the restaurants are Bonair

Rick Denton  30:00  
so it's sad at Hillstone and then whenever the sushi Holic and got dinner and then

Clancy Denton  30:05  
this was the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, it was back outside on the football field again, run so well. And I just was, yeah, it was just another nice evening.

Rick Denton  30:21  
And again, this one, I was glad to see him walk the stage. We were excited about that. We knew he was actually kind of up front. So we got to see that relatively quickly through the run of the kids. Same kind of thing. They move through this stuff quickly. And there were a lot of kids, they do. Great job with that.

Clancy Denton  30:35  
I'd say there were probably 2000 to 2500 kids. The whole entire ceremony was an hour and a half. Yeah, I mean, it was looting reading. And the dean said, clock it from here to the end of everyone's name, it's gonna be an hour and it was less it was like 57 minutes. I mean stopwatch on it was yeah, it was impressive. And, again, there's not a live person up there reading. It was either we couldn't figure it out. I couldn't figure out if it was aI generated or if it was the someone had pre recorded all their names. And I don't know how they did that because they weren't in any order. I'm not sure but so it was fun listening to some of the mispronunciations tener Calderon? Like, it's Cameron. And then poor Travis. I was like, Travis and then our favorite one from Barrett, this poor kid. His name is Cody moody. It was cootie moody. That'll live forever been cootie for

Rick Denton  31:35  
the rest of his life.

Clancy Denton  31:36  
Say Yeah, but again, so much fun. And then this night we did. We went to Casa with Tanner, I don't think I have a picture of that one. For a little while, and because you and I had to get up the next morning. Yeah,

Rick Denton  31:48  
to go move one out, go head down to Tucson and we were out. So yeah, we got up and drove again. This is what's so great. We got up and drove from one kids University to the other university a distance that would be like driving from Frisco to Baylor, and moved her out. Now this is one great thing. You got to experience it because you saw in the video, she was so organized.

Clancy Denton  32:09  
She this child? Yes. She had her piles. And she sent us a video the night before. This is my storage unit. This is what's coming home. This is trash. I mean, it was I was in there because you were on the phone, in the car. I mean, we had it packed by the time you got off the call. We're like let's go move it to the car. We took stuff to the storage unit while she finished up cleaning a few things and got her checked out. And yeah, we were on our way piled piled in. But we were on our way back to 10. B we

Rick Denton  32:47  
we challenge some of the rules of physics and the cars that we have used.

Clancy Denton  32:52  
Yes. Yeah. And especially when we got here and trying to get everything into my car. But But yes, no. Again, Tegan finished an excellent year, first year of view of a after she got over the roommate struggle. I mean, she just had so much fun did awesome education in her classes. And she's, you know, excited to be home. But she's excited to go back next year. So yeah, so yeah, no, just a great, great time. And then we all got to do a last dinner at one of our favorites pasta.

Rick Denton  33:31  
That night, which there's a reason why that was the last dinner because it was, in essence, the first dinner. We were looking for Italian on that night. And this was still COVID. And so there were a lot of dining restrictions, and we couldn't find space. So we actually kind of expanded our reach from ASU and found this place and fell in love with this place. And so it's a special moment in our minds to be able to have the beginning and the end of pasta Brioni Yeah.

Clancy Denton  34:00  
And then we did get up the next morning and go to Sonny, he's one of our favorite diners. So we did that which is a little bit and I was glad that Tanner joined joined with us. So he was Yeah, I mean, I did love seeing all of the boys as the week went on. I mean, I was like yeah not looking so good. So

Rick Denton  34:21  
you know the the the Seinfeld episode where Kramer ends up effectively smoking 40 packs, because he's created the smoking lounge in his apartment. And he's aged 40 years. That's what not his boys were smoking but just the wear and tear of the week. And even just the exhaustion of the exhausting of words. When we left Sonny's I don't know I think we might set a couple of sentences on the way to the airport.

Clancy Denton  34:47  
Oh, it was every time we got in the car with just the four of us. It was like everyone's gonna think we hate each other because we're not talking but in tears. Like I think we've used all our words It's like, yeah. And I said, and then we've just we don't know how many times can you say that's what I kept saying, can we think of a new because I've said congratulations, like, four bazillion times can we have another? You know, but ya know, it was just it was a great week and, you know, we we were still in Arizona we didn't leave till Saturday but my parents had actually, they went up to the Grand Canyon, which out a noon, they went to Albuquerque, they saw Santa Fe, as they were headed back because my younger brother Casey graduated from Texas Tech. And people that don't know our family. They're probably like you have a brother that's young enough to graduate from Tech. No, he finished his degree. And, and so that was a big celebration for them. They got to see him. Yeah, graduate. So that was nice for him.

Rick Denton  35:50  
It is great that they can make that kind of loop just to hit they hit all the kids colleges. Yeah. They had Arizona, Arizona State and Delta. Yeah. So

Clancy Denton  35:59  
yeah. So again, it was just a good, good week and

Rick Denton  36:05  
hard to believe it's over. Like there's not there's that element of we said that after the last graduation, I kept saying to them, your event? Yeah, I would say these sentences. I said, you're no longer an ASU student. You're just a random guy in Tempe at this point. And yes, I know, he's an alum. But the student part, it's over. And it's just sort of amazing to have gotten to that point.

Clancy Denton  36:29  
And because he didn't come back home with us, he's still out there. So I'm gonna be real interested, interested to see what he thinks of being out there for part of the summer. You know, I keep having this feeling that he's gonna say, I think I just want to come home. But we'll see. I was only

Rick Denton  36:47  
at school after graduation for a couple of days by myself because of the timing of when I went up to New York for the backpacking trip. And it was one of the most lonely, melancholy and surreal moments now we lived on campus so slightly different, because the dorms had just been completely clear. But that was different. But it will be interesting to see what his emotions are.

Clancy Denton  37:09  
Well, and that's, you know, I, you know, graduated from the nursing school, which was in Dallas, but you graduated in Waco. So we literally and you were at my graduation, we drove down, graduated, drove back, there wasn't a big you.

Rick Denton  37:24  
We're almost like the origin of it. I can't even

Clancy Denton  37:27  
tell you what we did, or anything. had this experience with Tanner was totally, I mean, it was party party. We're going here. We're going here. I mean, it was like, and again, that's the SU vibe. And but yeah, I mean, it was just chock full of fun. Parties. I mean, you know, even other kids, grad parties that we were a part of, you know, it was just a lot of fun.

Rick Denton  37:57  
That's perhaps the most I've eaten and consumed from a beverage perspective in a week span since since college. You didn't partake to the same degree, but I was, it was a full, vibrant week.

Clancy Denton  38:11  
It was just a lot of fun. So and then yeah, so we will await his arrival home because then we have to find him an apartment here. And I put this picture in last because yes, he is. I think we've said he is going to SMU law school. So, you know, as soon as he gets home, we have to move him out.

Rick Denton  38:36  
Yeah, welcome to our house. No, get out.

Clancy Denton  38:37  
So sorry. Yeah, there's a lot of a lot more fun times for him to you know, be had and, and he's he's generally looking forward to law school. And I think he's also relieved that he's continuing on with school, because if you have a kid graduating this year, it's tough out there right now for a lot of them to try to find jobs. And I you know, even some of Tanner's roommates are that, you know, we're at the top of their, you know, Honors College, you know, are having difficulties and so you just hate that for them after they've put in so much time and effort. Right. And they're, you know, very smart kids,

Rick Denton  39:24  
right? They didn't blow college off, they did the right thing. So they will be rewarded eventually. It's just it's frustrating. So for Tanner, it's great that He is able to continue on.

Clancy Denton  39:35  
So yeah, so we are you know, no longer I guess officially empty nesters for a few months even though we've barely seen Tegan although I did get to spend time with him. We'll talk about that later. But But yeah, I mean, like, you know, she's gone.

Rick Denton  39:50  
This was no different than any other recording session. Yeah, that was like,

Clancy Denton  39:53  
I guess y'all just went on to the mall. Oh, yeah. Like okay, but that's how it should I now it's how

Rick Denton  39:59  
it should And I know you know that and so it's good. It's good. So

Clancy Denton  40:03  
yeah, so we, you know, this, this summer is going to be a little different just because of events that happened. You know, earlier this week, we may be in and out to Austin and back. And so, you know, we're our our plan is to still release episodes and you know, I don't know

Rick Denton  40:23  
what it looks like or how or when or what it may you may get a lot of episodes with us clipped on Mike's driving in a car somewhere who knows what it's gonna be? Just always,

Clancy Denton  40:31  
always an adventure. And didn't

Rick Denton  40:34  
you think the empty nest would be a little more stable but no, at least this period? And well, we'll talk about that. Yeah. major life changes will certainly come out us.

Clancy Denton  40:44  
Yeah. Well, thanks for joining us again, another episode of the loud quiet living the empty nest

Transcribed by https://otter.ai