Ode to Casey

Meet Casey Perkins. He is our: new best friend/children's favorite person/cat sitter/ house sitter/ ex-student/ fashion faux-pas police/ movie buddy/ coffee mate/ surrogate child-brother.

After graduation, with the lines between teacher and student eliminated, Steve started hanging out endlessly with Casey Perkins. I was in Michigan with the boys when I began hearing (every night), "Casey and I went out for coffee" "I had dinner with Casey" "The Perkins invited me over for dinner". Good thing I knew Casey was male, or I might have been a little worried. :)
While on vacation, the boys most commonly requested (after grandma and grandpa) that we "go see Casey" or "go to Casey's howse". Just today, when Steve came home from the school, Owen and I were in the other room playing when the front door creaked open. Owen popped his head up from his blocks and with a gasp said, "it's Casey!". Obviously, the boys are enthralled.
Casey is funny, thoughtful, eccentric, unassuming, out-of-the-box. We originally called him our surrogate child, due to the fact that he is at our house at least once a day and we talk on the phone with him at least twice, but upon further consideration, he is way too old to be any child of ours. Steve counts him as a friend....I think of him as a little brother. Always there, fun to be with, occassionally annoying, but overall lovable.
A welcome addition to our "family". :)