Happy Birthday, Quint!

This is the guy who made us grandparents for the first time on January 25, 2000.

Officially, he is Caudle Jerry Adkins, V, but to family and friends, he is simply Quint. As the fifth in a line of Caudle Adkinses, he has already come to expect people to misspell and mispronounce his given name. Claude, Candle, and Claudell are names that we have all been called, over the years. Heck, when I was in U.S. Air Force Basic Training at Lackland AFB, I even had a guy with one stripe, actually erase my first name which I had printed on a form, and "correct" it to "Claude" (like I was so stupid I couldn't spell my own name).

Quint is quite a guy, but then again, would you expect a proud grandfather to say anything else?

He attends a magnet school and excels in science, math, and problem solving. He has his Dad's rhythm and already is quite a drummer. And he also has that sarcastic, biting humor that apparently I have passed on to him. For example, a year of so ago, when I was visiting in New Orleans, Quint's mother, Michelle, was searching through her purse for a comb, to comb the hair of younger son, Canon. Sensing that she was unable to find her comb, I reached in my right pocket and brought out the little black comb that I have carried for years.

Quint looked at me incredulously and, obviously aware of the fact that I am "follically challenged" he said, with that Adkins grin , "Why in the world would YOU have a comb?"

See what I mean?

Jay walked into the house a few weeks ago and saluted Quint with the greeting, "What's the plan, Bub?"

Barely looking up from the project he was working on, Quint replied, "Well, I'm planning to go to MIT, but that's about all I've got right now."

Only God knows what the future has in store for our #1 grandson, but one thing is for sure. He certainly brought joy and excitement into our lives eleven years ago, and Mamaw and I are very, very proud of him.

Happy Birthday, Quint!