Memorial Day

This is always a bit of a rough one for me personally. For whatever reason growing up I've always had a great deal of respect for our men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. I don't know if it was from the movies I watched or the history books I read but there was always a sense of these people were special in a way nobody else could be. Volunteering to put yourself in harms way for the betterment of people you'll never know. Sure many do it feeling as if they are serving their families but knowing many serve just because they feel it's the right thing to do. Obviously not all who serve have the purest of motivations but I don't believe that to be a large percentage.

I had a very good friend who felt this duty to his Family and his Country. Part of why I was initially drawn to him as a friend was because of his service. He was a Marine. Marines have a reputation for being the baddest of the bad and the toughest of the tough. Marines only respected other Marines with the rare exception of a Seal or a Ranger. He was a really nice guy. He loved children (especially his own boy) and was a fiercely loyal friend to me. He didn't let many into his world but once you were in, it was like being in the Mafia. The guy would do anything for me and he did so not only for me but for the others he was close to.

He got the call to Iraq in 2004. He left for training in June and was in Iraq by September if I'm recalling correctly. I received a few letters from him, always sure to try and get me to laugh. In November the Incredibles came out. We went to see it with his son opening night. Several days later he was out on patrol and his Humvee was hit by an IED. He was thrown from the vehicle as was another Marine, the other three died instantly.

What followed the next year was a very painful time in many people's lives. He had a severe brain injury, he looked (for the most part) fine. But he wasn't. He died in August of 2005. I've cried a lot over loosing my friend. When I watch a war movie, or see a story on the news about our fighting men and women it's with a different perspective or lens that I see it through. It's from a perspective of personal loss. But I don't avoid those movies or stories. I still seek them out. It helps me to remember what I've lost both as a friend and as an American. It reminds me of how blessed I am to have people who are out there putting themselves in harm's way for me and they don't even know who I am or if I'm worth the risk. Prayerfully I live my life in a worthy manner of their sacrifice. Prayerfully we all do.

I love you buddy, I always will.

Brian

Video FUN!!!!

Look for the thumbs up midway through this clip...

Get a haircut HIPPIE!

Yeah, some say you're supposed to wait a year but seriously this kids hair was outta control. Heidi took him for his first haircut yesterday. He did amazingly well. The hair cutter lady said he's best kid she's ever dealt with. I guess he was chilly chill the whole time just checking everything out. Clippers didn't phase him either. This kid is a ROCK!

So anyway now he looks even studlier than ever and will have an even more difficult time organizing his social calender with the ladies.



Hellooooo ladies!!!

Long time, no blog...

Yes, my dear viewers it has been a long long time. There has been a lot of good and some challenging things come our way.

Crazy stuff, like Zach having to get a CAT scan (a three hour process to get a five minute picture) which revealed he's perfectly fine, just chalk up his off the charts cranium to his Daddy and all those brains he's carrying.

Painting the addition which took me a full week, then our dryer died at a very in-opportune time. I was able to fix it with almost 200 dollars in parts later (replaced the casters that the drum rolls on and the motor itself, which had essentially seized). The dryer was relatively easy to figure out. I'm up a creek though if the washer decides to go the way of the dinosaur.

Heidi is excited for school to be over. She gets to spend all summer with Little Z, save the couple of days she'll be taking a class that she's wanted to take for a while now.

We've been spending a lot of weekends in Chicago. Most of you know why. All things considered it's going very well on that front. Hoping to get the whole family together for the summer again if possible. I love getting time with my family. While a lot of families would have to occupy themselves with activities and whatnot to keep things interesting all we have to do is be in the same room with some food and we're good to go for a week. It's honestly one of my favorite things in the world to do. Just hang and talk with my blood.

Hopefully we'll get some more regular updates in the future. The last two months have just been crazy.

List of crazy things...

Cost of gas

Zach is almost eleven months, and now claps, waves, and numerous other things that make us think he totally understands us

I can finally wear shorts most days (thank you Lord)

Barenaked Ladies new kid's album SNACKTIME rocks

Toadies have a new album dropping in August (after another ridiculous seven year wait, but it'll be worth it)

How little sleep I've gotten in the last month, seriously I should be dead