SWEARING IN AN OREGON BAR

Okay, actually it was THE Oregon Bar, and it was my son, Garrett, who was sworn in today as an official attorney, licensed to practice in the state of Oregon. My husband, Stephen, and I went with him to Salem this morning for the grand event, attended by most of the Oregon Supreme Court justices and other high falutin' lawyer types. Frankly, I expected a rather dry sort of ceremony, but it turned out to be rip-roarin' fun. Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but who knew lawyers could be so amusing? And real. It was gratifying to see other young lawyers with proud parents and/or toddlers in tow. The president of the Oregon Bar admonished the newbies to "be good at home" and offered sound advice on keeping life in balance.

We are very proud of Garrett, who had two babies with wife Bayra during his three-year stint at University of Chicago Law School. He graduated with honors and survived that tough period with sanity, sense, and family relations intact. That's no small feat. He is now enjoying being a full-time daddy while Bayra earns the money until January, when Garrett's job at Holland and Knight law firm begins.

Garrett tries to get us to call him Esquire now. We just laugh. But with real pride.