They call me Hondo!

Hondo talking to the tribe at the airport in Argentina.





“Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.” John Wayne


Well we made it through another travel week!

I have been blogging for a couple of weeks and I can honestly say I am addicted. It's like making an instant scrapbook...and I am an instant gratification girl for sure.

I love that as Tom travels he can log on, even when we have no phone service, and check in on the daily activities of the tribe.

Our evening phone call came tonight as he was waiting in an airport in Argentina to come home. When we talked he mentioned that while he loved reading it, he wasn't tickled with being labeled "my sweet hubby" (I think what he actually said was you don't call me that in real life). I tried to explain to him that I needed SOMETHING to call him so that everyone would know who I was talking about lol...my mother refers to my father as DH (darling husband) on her blog, my sister calls my brother-in-law JW on her blog and I guess I thought I had something as catchy (plus he really is sweet).

What the conversation did do was open up the door for my story tonight.

Tom and I began to talk in 2001 and officially had our first date January 2002 (that story will have to wait). During the years the kids had referred to us by name. We began to discuss as a family that we wanted a meaningful name to call the other parent...one that did not take away from biological parents...one that could acknowledge the special relationship that had developed and that could have as deep and powerful a meaning as Mom and Dad.

Tom and I submitted names that we would feel comfortable being called...I knew my picks immediately...I went for Babs or Toots...upon discovering that Toots could be turned into "TOOTS" as in the passing gas kind of toots...I opted for Babs. Tom did not have as easy a time with his new name....we started off with King (yes he really thought we would all call him king), The Big Kahuna (yup you got it, he thought if we would not call him king we would go for this one, whatever!), Padre and a few more. He was really struggling so we started to brain storm things he liked. Like most men John Wayne is Tom's idea of a "real man". One of his favorite movies of all time is Hondo...and to be honest the first time we called him that it just fit.

The names have evolved into more than we ever expected...we have begun to call each other Babs and Hondo...all the tribes friends use them with as much love as our own children...and even our families have started calling us that. Who knows maybe his drivers license will one day read "Hondo".

What ever we call him, sweet hubby, Dad, Honda, old buddy old pal...he is loved.


It may never be easy but it will always be worth it.
Babs