Across the Quad

With two daughters, a grandson, and an ex-wife all blogging here with him, Tony is the official Godfather of Blog.

Headed out for the day, with U of M backpack to hold i-gadgets, cameras and chargers. "Say hello to my little friend..."

Sequence, studying & self-reliance

I kept waiting for the inspirational moment in which I would have a great realization about college life and my newfound independence. At that opportune moment, I would whip out my Macbook and blog about it while sounding educated and well-rounded as I sip coffee in a hip cafe. I’m almost a month in and I have had many small realizations, most of which are not blog worthy. But for $339/credit hour this is what I have come to realize:

People think you are much cooler than you are when you have a guitar in your room.

Roommates will steal your food. The next morning, you will steal their headphones.

You don’t have to wear sequence and leggings. Most nights, you probably shouldn’t.

On Friday mornings you have to yell louder than the alarm to make sure she gets up for her 8 o’clock test.

It’s never “nothing” when she stays the night in his dorm five out of seven days of the week.

We have half the same genetic makeup as a banana.

Being a football player is not a personality trait.

Suddenly, you are remorseful of the years your sister spent telling you to keep your things on your side of the room. Karma is a bitch.

Studying is essential. Making sure you study the correct chapter is even more important.

Boys know how to make you feel special to them. The trick is remembering that you are too special for them.

Staying up until two and waking a few hours later is suddenly acceptable.

Smoke breaks are a good time for socializing… and telling your roommate that your dad died from cancer.

Eye contact makes you new friends; so does remembering their name.

Your mother’s voice makes everything ok.

Punch- Punch- Punch

The Bride-

“Does Aunt Pat realize these plates are two hundred dollars a piece… and she’s going to bring along some nursing student as a “surprise” guest to my wedding” Annoyed and discontent with not knowing whose face she would see on her wedding day, she let it go. But secretly hoping that it would be A. Uncle Paul, B. Tiffany, or C. Uncle Tony. And not some yahoo-nursing student whom Aunt Pat felt could use a good party in her life.

Uncle Tiffany-

“Sweet but you wont be home uncle tiff you're going to FL!!” Time zones can be tricky, and especially when you’re in one that is calculated by the mountains it’s good to have cousins like Tamara to remind you of the state where you’ll be spending your weekend. It can be Thursday here in the Rockies, and Friday in Michigan. So you can imagine my confusion. Regardless it being Michigan, Florida, or Nashville I was hopping a plane on September 18th to celebrate a monumental day with my family.

The Bride-

“I was hoping for Uncle Paul” but the tears streaming down her face potentially ruining some of the wedding photos led me to believe she was beyond touched by the gift her aunt had given her. And that aunt, capable of bringing along some yahoo look-in to party it up in Florida delivered the next best thing ‘Uncle Tiff.

Grey Owl-

“So I heard you ditched my wedding because you owed Uncle Tony a bunch of money, and didn’t want to run into him” Laughed McKenzie. Being at Bryanne’s wedding surrounded by the people I love most in this universe, made it even more clear to me. I miss that loan shark and desperately need to spend some time with him it’d been a year and half… and who knows maybe his Quicken program found a glitch. Derailing my flight back to Denver, I found myself in Roscommon trailing behind Aunt Pat, “Tony, you here?” Startled, jolted from his nap, he looked up. I peered my little head over the couch, seeing the obvious question flash across his face… How in the hell is this girl getting back to Denver? Details are irrelevant in my book as I begin this three- week adventure with only a party dress and a pair of high heels. I have a sneaking suspicion my Aunt Pat would concur as she hopped in the passenger seat rubbing her little hands together “My work here is done."

My Dad

Hello family.

I'm really missing my dad lately, and I'm haunted, wondering if he knew I loved him.

If anyone has any good stories about my dad, please post them for me to read. And the stories, don't even have to be happy ones.

Although, I've heard the one about how he got cancer. :)

So come on. Bring on your Brian stories or memories.

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Fall. Seems like it may be a long winter.

I'd like to say to Uncle Tony, I love the Texan Love song CD you burned for me, filled with all that Bobby Bare songs. I cry when I listen to it, but they are happy tears. Bobby Bare was a constant soundtrack in our house on Cedar Island Road.

So thank you. :) Feel free to send more anytime. I'm still searching for the song, Cowboys and Daddies by Bobby Bare. Think it is out of print.

Larry

Larry was the perfect big brother to me and I always adored him. When I was 6 and he was just shy of 10, I would follow behind him as we walked to the bus stop, imitating his form. I needed to control the natural swivel of my hips, swing my arms, take long strides and lift to the balls of my feet with each step. Perfect.

Larry had a love of nature and animals throughout his life. I will never forget Beeper, the bluebird with a broken wing that he mended in our basement and then set free. Animals returned his love. Once he came to visit with me at Susie’s. Her dog, Reese, was very old and riddled with arthritis. When Larry arrived Reese was wagging his tail and acting like a puppy, staying the entire time at Larry’s side. If Larry got up to go to the bathroom, Reese followed right behind.

Larry loved being in the wilderness, either camping, hunting or just walking. He was always soft spoken and accepted things as they are. His very presence calmed me when I was stressed. When he lost the strength in his legs and his balance, I asked if he was frustrated or angry that he could no longer walk and he told me, "I guess God figured I used up all my steps."

In August he had his first surgery and he was back in ICU with all of those wires. I watched the screen and saw his heart beat rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen level and at the bottom his respiration chart. The mimicking little sister returned – inhale to the peak, exhale, hold...inhale to the peak, exhale, hold – we were in union again.

Now he is walking ahead of me to join Star, Jack, Mom, and Dad. I can see him with a gentle smile on his face, swinging his arms, taking long strides and lifting to the balls of his feet with each step.