Saturday, April 27, 2013

"BOOM"

Whether it is the sound of rockets going off on the fourth of July or the lowering of it, TODAY is the day! He is 60. What a glorious day. Indeed, the sun came up, the snow melted and oh yes, he had to go to work. But all in all it is a great day for the birthday. His mom was so excited she thought it was last week. Not sure if that means it seems like he has been around forever or if it is a sign of things to come. After all, look at all the announcements that were sent to let the world know he had arrived.......and clearly how many documents it takes for us to remember when that was.






What a great journey this brother/son/teacher/father/soldier/uncle/grandfather/friend has had. Like the petrified forest, it seems he has lived forever. Seriously! He has indeed grown taller, stronger, wiser, thinner......well something is thinner. But I digress. So how do you celebrate this great day?



A quick trip to the farm for a birthday cake (thank you sister) and a gift that is sure to entertain,  amuse, frustrate, remind him how much he is loved. Electronics are the best test ever of age and agility and tendencies for aggression:-) If all else fails, just EAT CAKE, right? Well once we peeled the layer of wax off the cake it was smooth sailing.













And it is the best fun ever to recall his greatest accomplishments.
I think the photos will speak for themselves:-)





HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brother. We are blessed always to have you as our brother ............slightly concerned............but blessed! Enjoy the next 60 years.




Saturday, April 6, 2013

20 more....................then POOF!

Just think of the amazing things a new mother is planning when she sees the 'daylight' of delivery. Any day we are having a 'thing'...............okay, a sidebar here. While this may appear a lack of sensitivity or a jib, you will recall this was right after electricity and long before level 3 ultrasounds that showed the color of nail polish in-utero.........back to the rejoicing. It will be sweet, pink and cuddly. It will love it's mom and dad and follow all the rules. It will be very smart and take after......here I demur to become involved in taking sides. But clearly it would take after someone. And indeed, he did!




That whole thing with wheels piece we discussed earlier. Went from bikes and toys to road rallies through the woods of Virginia and an assortment of other tire kicking adventures including a black charger. He and his chum would pack the car, one driving and the other one yelling at the one driving with the ultimate goal of navigating roads with encrypted clues and a stop watch. Good times. Everyone came home, cars dinged but no one died.




And then there was the running around fields playing soccer. While I clearly have no recollection of these earlier sports if he moved even slightly more than his nephew on the field he was a rock star. But lets not focus on these things, his head is already quite large and shiny. OOOOH I am going to hear about that. Well for today we know he is a mover and a shaker, a run and get it kind of guy.



His skill set is so grand that he almost single handed directed the construction of the Christmas 'chain'. Well he may have had a little help, but needless to say he is a wizard with tape. This little project was so treasured by his parents that it won a special holiday box for storage so that it would not be damaged. Did I mention this was made at the same time as the photo which displays it? Well, not to worry. Many great craftsmen start at a later age in life. and he did have the help of two talkative sisters and a young nephew who had learned the craft ..............................at school!






I have a zillion fond memories of brother! He is loyal, loving and funny. He has no problem taking care of whatever task is at hand. At the drop of the hat he is there to video tape games and performances, take a neighbor to the doctor or get friends to town central for the annual painting of the shamrock.



He puts up with a lot as well. After all he has two talkative sisters and a family who excels at reminding him of things such as how very old he is! But not to worry, even if he tries we won't let him forget.......anything. After all isn't that what the Internet is for? I think it is clear that if someone was looking for the oldest guy in town, his name is moving up the list. If they look for the best brother? He is at the top, bar none!

MAD Unified Life

MAD UNIFIED - MAD Unified Instructors: Patrick Burns, Michael Wakeford What is MAD Unified? MAD Unified Dance Crew met January 10th, 2020...