What a week and a half. As if Greg's passing wasn't bad enough, Marilu's brother and his wife went through hell this weekend when Kyle, their 9-day-old newborn, had extremely serious health issues with his heart. After several days in the hospital, things are looking up and the best words to describe the current situation are "cautiously optimistic."
On top of all that, today is the 1st anniversary of the worst day of our lives. This time last year was the day we said both hello and goodbye to Rory. I don't really want to talk about it since it hurts too much when I concentrate on what happened, but I did want to acknowledge that we remember her (or him, as Lucas still thinks), and we never plan to forget.
In light of all that--and I know this sounds cliche--take some time to let those close to you know you love them. I really wish I had that one more conversation with Greg or the chance to see Lucas play with his little sister, but I can't, and in a word, that sucks. However, I hope my family and friends who are still here with me realize how much I appreciate them being in my life. I also hope I'll get a chance to see many of you this weekend at Greg's memorial.
Take care.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
My Cousin Greg
Earlier this week, my cousin Greg passed away. Greg had been dealing with serious health issues for the last few years, including a coma at one point, so the news didn't come out of the blue. Having said that though, it was well before his time, and I think I speak for everyone in my family when I say we'll truly miss him. Marilu, Lucas, and I have a trip to Massachusetts planned for July, and one of the main things that went through my mind after I heard the news is that I wish I would have been able to have one last conversation with him. I'm also sad that Lucas will never get a chance to know him better. During our last couple of visits, you could tell that Greg was always delighted to see Lucas, and Lucas really liked seeing him. It probably didn't hurt that Greg always showed up with creative and thoughtful gifts for the little guy!
I spent some time this afternoon going through all of my photos from our past vacations to Massachusetts and found some great shots of Greg that I'd like to share. I hope you enjoy seeing a side of Greg that not many people got to experience.
Back in October 2007, just a few months after Lucas was born, my mom threw a party for Lucas at The Lodge in Webster. This is the first picture we ever took of Lucas and Greg.
A couple of months later, we returned to spend Christmas with my mom and Kevin. During a family photo, Greg showed off his goofy side.
During our annual summer trip to Massachusetts in 2010, Lucas got his first fishing pole, and Greg showed him how to catch kivers off the dock.
Here's some more from that trip. I think it's plain to see how much Lucas loved "Cousin Greg."
Jumping ahead to our summer trip in 2011, Greg brought Lucas a whole bag of gifts. Suffice to say the rugrat was overjoyed with that!
For what it's worth, Lucas was playing that Scooby-Doo game this past weekend with a friend so it has definitely stood the test of time.
My favorite picture from that summer has to be this one. I don't think Lucas really understands what happened yet, but when he does, I know he's really going to miss Greg.
Unfortunately, we only took two photos with Greg during our last visit in 2012, but I'm so thankful one of them was a good one of just the two of us. As you can see in the photo with Lucas, Greg bestowed upon him another gift, this time a computerized telescope that will last Lucas for many years to come.
One of the things going through my mind right now is the gifts Greg bought for Lucas. I alluded to it at the beginning of this blog post, but I wanted to reiterate that Greg put a lot of thought into the gifts he bought Lucas. I'm as guilty as anyone of just grabbing the first action figure I see when I want to surprise Lucas, but Greg would ask questions of Marilu and I as to Lucas's interests, and even after Lucas opened them, Greg would worriedly wonder, "Is that good? Will he like that?" As much as Greg could be a gruff personality at times, below that was a very caring individual who absolutely lit up while watching Lucas fish, swim, or just play at his feet.
It's no secret that I'm not a religious person, and I have no idea what happens when a person dies. However, what I do know is that I am going to miss my cousin Greg. There's a permanent hole somewhere inside of me--as well as for many of you reading, I suspect--now that he is gone.
Next week, I'll be traveling down to Massachusetts for his memorial service, and while I think there will be plenty of tears shed, I'm sure there will be a lot of laughter as well since that's the way Greg would want it. It won't be too hard to imagine him, maybe a little younger, maybe a little slimmer, kicking back in one of the chairs with a cigarette in one hand and an adult beverage of some variety in the other, wondering just what the hell we're getting so worked up about. As far as I'm concerned, there are a lot worse ways to be remembered.
Rest in Peace, Greg. We'll always miss you.
I spent some time this afternoon going through all of my photos from our past vacations to Massachusetts and found some great shots of Greg that I'd like to share. I hope you enjoy seeing a side of Greg that not many people got to experience.
Back in October 2007, just a few months after Lucas was born, my mom threw a party for Lucas at The Lodge in Webster. This is the first picture we ever took of Lucas and Greg.
A couple of months later, we returned to spend Christmas with my mom and Kevin. During a family photo, Greg showed off his goofy side.
During our annual summer trip to Massachusetts in 2010, Lucas got his first fishing pole, and Greg showed him how to catch kivers off the dock.
Here's some more from that trip. I think it's plain to see how much Lucas loved "Cousin Greg."
Jumping ahead to our summer trip in 2011, Greg brought Lucas a whole bag of gifts. Suffice to say the rugrat was overjoyed with that!
For what it's worth, Lucas was playing that Scooby-Doo game this past weekend with a friend so it has definitely stood the test of time.
My favorite picture from that summer has to be this one. I don't think Lucas really understands what happened yet, but when he does, I know he's really going to miss Greg.
Unfortunately, we only took two photos with Greg during our last visit in 2012, but I'm so thankful one of them was a good one of just the two of us. As you can see in the photo with Lucas, Greg bestowed upon him another gift, this time a computerized telescope that will last Lucas for many years to come.
One of the things going through my mind right now is the gifts Greg bought for Lucas. I alluded to it at the beginning of this blog post, but I wanted to reiterate that Greg put a lot of thought into the gifts he bought Lucas. I'm as guilty as anyone of just grabbing the first action figure I see when I want to surprise Lucas, but Greg would ask questions of Marilu and I as to Lucas's interests, and even after Lucas opened them, Greg would worriedly wonder, "Is that good? Will he like that?" As much as Greg could be a gruff personality at times, below that was a very caring individual who absolutely lit up while watching Lucas fish, swim, or just play at his feet.
It's no secret that I'm not a religious person, and I have no idea what happens when a person dies. However, what I do know is that I am going to miss my cousin Greg. There's a permanent hole somewhere inside of me--as well as for many of you reading, I suspect--now that he is gone.
Next week, I'll be traveling down to Massachusetts for his memorial service, and while I think there will be plenty of tears shed, I'm sure there will be a lot of laughter as well since that's the way Greg would want it. It won't be too hard to imagine him, maybe a little younger, maybe a little slimmer, kicking back in one of the chairs with a cigarette in one hand and an adult beverage of some variety in the other, wondering just what the hell we're getting so worked up about. As far as I'm concerned, there are a lot worse ways to be remembered.
Rest in Peace, Greg. We'll always miss you.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Eatin' by the fire
Lucas chows down on S'mores. We are out in Carleton Place at the surprise 60th birthday party for the father of our friend Christine. Don't say I never posted something current. :)
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Ottawa Comiccon 2013
(Before I kick this entry off, I wanted to mention that the last photo in this blog contains the F word. I'm not sure if anyone who reads this blog is that easily offended, but consider yourself warned!)
On Friday, Lucas and I attended the Ottawa Comiccon for the second straight year. If you're feeling nostalgic, you can find the blog entry for last year's visit here. I hadn't planned on going, but earlier this week, I realized Friday tickets were fairly inexpensive, and Lucas's would only be $5 so I said what the hell and ordered a couple.
The event itself was very similar to last year, but because we went on a Friday, as opposed to a Saturday in 2012, it was not nearly as crowded. Unfortunately, another thing that was similar to last year is that Lucas didn't want to pose for the camera much. It's a shame since there was some amazing costumes, but alas, that's the way it goes. Nonetheless, I did manage to get a few good pictures of him so that's what you'll see here.
Just to give you an idea of how popular these conventions are, check out the line we were in. Although its length puts a Disney line to shame, it moved a heck of a lot faster. I'd estimate it took us about 20 minutes to reach the entrance, which wasn't too bad. It also helped that it was cool this afternoon, as opposed to the brutal heat last year.
Believe it or not, Lucas was great in line. He was very patient and didn't complain at all. It probably didn't hurt that there were lots of people in costumes around so that kept him entertained. You'll notice he dressed as Boba Fett for the occasion. That lasted about an hour before it got too hot for him. As close as I got to a costume was wearing an Avengers t-shirt.
Here's the one picture Lucas allowed me to take of him with another person. Quality over quantity is definitely in effect as this picture is just too darn cute. Big Boba Fett and mini Boba. It was taken just after we entered the main hall. Boba Fett was taking a picture with someone else, and as soon as he saw Lucas in costume, he came over and gave him a high five. You can't see it under the mask, but Lucas was grinning ear to ear. (Coincidentally, while looking at last year's blog post, I noticed I took almost the exact same picture...though with a different Boba Fett and a non-costumed Lucas.)
At these conventions, there are a lot of different vendors, selling everything from comics to action figures to clothing to real swords. Surprisingly, a vendor that caught Lucas's eye was one that sold costume accessories. In particular, he liked the spiked bracelets. He originally wanted one with metal spikes, but I "convinced" him that maybe the rubber ones would be a better idea. Here, he shows off his new purchase. It really complements the Boba Fett outfit, right?
For those of you familiar with the British sci-fi show Doctor Who, there were several Daleks in attendance at the Con. They were fully functional and could move and talk. I believe they were actually manned from the inside. The reason I mention this is that shortly after the picture below was taken--a showdown between Boba Fett and a Dalek--the Dalek noticed Lucas and chased him around for at least a minute. He was running all over the place, trying to escape, but it just kept coming. He finally bolted off into another room, shrieking happily all the way. No photo or video of that, unfortunately, but I'm sure you can picture it.
There was a board game area at Comiccon that allowed you to check out and play games. Not only did it give us a break from walking around, but I got to try out two games with Lucas to see if he was old enough to play them. That's a lot better than blindly spending $30-40 and hoping he takes to it! In this photo, we were playing Get Bit, a card game that uses a plastic shark and robot swimmers to keep score. Lucas liked playing with the robots, but he still has a year or two to go before understanding the game.
Here are some of the sights from Comiccon: a massive Dalek, Luke's landspeeder from Star Wars, and the one and only Batmobile!
Finally, here's the picture I warned you about at the beginning. Now, to understand its meaning, you have to realize that many diehard fans of the original Star Wars trilogy hate the newer movies and blame George Lucas for everything that is wrong with them. This guy was just letting the world know what he thought of George Lucas via his t-shirt. I thought it was absolutely hilarious--obviously for a completely different reason--and asked the guy if I could take a picture. As much as I would love to get this shirt as a joke, Marilu did point out that there is almost nowhere I could wear it. Plus, Lucas recognizes his name on it, and the last thing I need is for him to concentrate his reading on understanding what the first word means! :)
So that was this year's Comiccon. We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year. Maybe I'll convince Marilu to come next time, and we can get a lot more pictures.
On Friday, Lucas and I attended the Ottawa Comiccon for the second straight year. If you're feeling nostalgic, you can find the blog entry for last year's visit here. I hadn't planned on going, but earlier this week, I realized Friday tickets were fairly inexpensive, and Lucas's would only be $5 so I said what the hell and ordered a couple.
The event itself was very similar to last year, but because we went on a Friday, as opposed to a Saturday in 2012, it was not nearly as crowded. Unfortunately, another thing that was similar to last year is that Lucas didn't want to pose for the camera much. It's a shame since there was some amazing costumes, but alas, that's the way it goes. Nonetheless, I did manage to get a few good pictures of him so that's what you'll see here.
Just to give you an idea of how popular these conventions are, check out the line we were in. Although its length puts a Disney line to shame, it moved a heck of a lot faster. I'd estimate it took us about 20 minutes to reach the entrance, which wasn't too bad. It also helped that it was cool this afternoon, as opposed to the brutal heat last year.
Believe it or not, Lucas was great in line. He was very patient and didn't complain at all. It probably didn't hurt that there were lots of people in costumes around so that kept him entertained. You'll notice he dressed as Boba Fett for the occasion. That lasted about an hour before it got too hot for him. As close as I got to a costume was wearing an Avengers t-shirt.
Here's the one picture Lucas allowed me to take of him with another person. Quality over quantity is definitely in effect as this picture is just too darn cute. Big Boba Fett and mini Boba. It was taken just after we entered the main hall. Boba Fett was taking a picture with someone else, and as soon as he saw Lucas in costume, he came over and gave him a high five. You can't see it under the mask, but Lucas was grinning ear to ear. (Coincidentally, while looking at last year's blog post, I noticed I took almost the exact same picture...though with a different Boba Fett and a non-costumed Lucas.)
At these conventions, there are a lot of different vendors, selling everything from comics to action figures to clothing to real swords. Surprisingly, a vendor that caught Lucas's eye was one that sold costume accessories. In particular, he liked the spiked bracelets. He originally wanted one with metal spikes, but I "convinced" him that maybe the rubber ones would be a better idea. Here, he shows off his new purchase. It really complements the Boba Fett outfit, right?
For those of you familiar with the British sci-fi show Doctor Who, there were several Daleks in attendance at the Con. They were fully functional and could move and talk. I believe they were actually manned from the inside. The reason I mention this is that shortly after the picture below was taken--a showdown between Boba Fett and a Dalek--the Dalek noticed Lucas and chased him around for at least a minute. He was running all over the place, trying to escape, but it just kept coming. He finally bolted off into another room, shrieking happily all the way. No photo or video of that, unfortunately, but I'm sure you can picture it.
There was a board game area at Comiccon that allowed you to check out and play games. Not only did it give us a break from walking around, but I got to try out two games with Lucas to see if he was old enough to play them. That's a lot better than blindly spending $30-40 and hoping he takes to it! In this photo, we were playing Get Bit, a card game that uses a plastic shark and robot swimmers to keep score. Lucas liked playing with the robots, but he still has a year or two to go before understanding the game.
Here are some of the sights from Comiccon: a massive Dalek, Luke's landspeeder from Star Wars, and the one and only Batmobile!
Finally, here's the picture I warned you about at the beginning. Now, to understand its meaning, you have to realize that many diehard fans of the original Star Wars trilogy hate the newer movies and blame George Lucas for everything that is wrong with them. This guy was just letting the world know what he thought of George Lucas via his t-shirt. I thought it was absolutely hilarious--obviously for a completely different reason--and asked the guy if I could take a picture. As much as I would love to get this shirt as a joke, Marilu did point out that there is almost nowhere I could wear it. Plus, Lucas recognizes his name on it, and the last thing I need is for him to concentrate his reading on understanding what the first word means! :)
So that was this year's Comiccon. We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year. Maybe I'll convince Marilu to come next time, and we can get a lot more pictures.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Blast Ball 2013
Yesterday, Lucas started his second season of Blast Ball. If you recall from last year, Blast Ball is basically t-ball with a first base that honks when the kids step on it. There's not much of a competitive aspect to it as the main purpose is to teach kids the basics of baseball, such as hitting and fielding.
This year, a friend of ours, Dave, volunteered to coach one of the teams, and I offered to be his assistant coach. This made Lucas more excited than he normally is when he starts something new since he knew I would be out there with him.
The first session went well. All the kids were reasonably well-behaved, and I think everybody had fun. Here are some pictures that Marilu took.
Probably the kids' favorite part: snack time!
Before we left for practice, I asked Lucas if he had any ideas for a team name, and he immediately offered the suggestion, "Super Blast Ball Army Dragons with Guns!" Eventually, that got whittled down to Army Dragons, and Dave compromised and suggested Yellow Dragons, which the team thought was a pretty good idea.
As the season progresses, I'm sure we'll have plenty more Blast Ball pictures so keep an eye out for that.
This year, a friend of ours, Dave, volunteered to coach one of the teams, and I offered to be his assistant coach. This made Lucas more excited than he normally is when he starts something new since he knew I would be out there with him.
The first session went well. All the kids were reasonably well-behaved, and I think everybody had fun. Here are some pictures that Marilu took.
Probably the kids' favorite part: snack time!
Before we left for practice, I asked Lucas if he had any ideas for a team name, and he immediately offered the suggestion, "Super Blast Ball Army Dragons with Guns!" Eventually, that got whittled down to Army Dragons, and Dave compromised and suggested Yellow Dragons, which the team thought was a pretty good idea.
As the season progresses, I'm sure we'll have plenty more Blast Ball pictures so keep an eye out for that.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Boys' Weekend
This past weekend, Marilu went on her annual shopping trip to Syracuse with some friends of hers. So it was just Lucas and me from Friday until Sunday afternoon. I'd planned to do a bunch of outside stuff with him since the weather has finally taken a turn for the better, but unfortunately, Lucas developed a fever on Friday, and it stuck with him until Sunday morning. Things worked out in the end since we got to sit on the couch playing video games and watching TV all of Saturday, and that's what a boys' weekend is all about, right?
Not long before the weekend, Marilu's dad sent Lucas $20 with the instructions that he was supposed to spend it on snacks for himself. Well, what better time to do that than on our weekend together? Below is a picture I took of Lucas with his haul after we got back from the store. Fever or not, the kid ate a lot of sugar that weekend.
Not long before the weekend, Marilu's dad sent Lucas $20 with the instructions that he was supposed to spend it on snacks for himself. Well, what better time to do that than on our weekend together? Below is a picture I took of Lucas with his haul after we got back from the store. Fever or not, the kid ate a lot of sugar that weekend.
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