Happy National Coffee Day: Darwin's Coffee

Today is National Coffee Day! In honor of this day, in the coffee capital of the US, I have loaded up on 30 ounces and then spent 10 minutes singing the Song That Never Ends. Both kids are now completely avoiding me and I get to post this amazing article written about my cousin's coffee business. Please read, like and share!

Darwin’s Coffee offers high quality coffee beans from specialty farmers across the globe. This specialty company roasts the beans when you order them and then ships them right away. This ensures the absolute freshest taste possible in your cup. This is their story.

How it Started

A fortuitous meeting at a coffee cupping event in Michigan was the start of it all. Brian Brusich had a background in chemistry. He met Darwin Pavon at a coffee tasting event in 2015 in the city of Flushing. Honduran by birth, Darwin had a background in agricultural engineering. His area of expertise? The soil. Darwin had previously worked with various types of farmers before jumping into the roasting business. He became adept at analyzing the soil and growing conditions to develop fertilizers and improve crop yields. Brian and Darwin hit it off at the cupping, and the idea for a new coffee roasting business began to form. Darwin’s Single Origin Coffee came into existence in 2016. This unique roaster eliminates the middle-man, importing high quality beans directly from the source.

“We work in a direct relationship with farmers all around the globe to locate and deliver our absolute favorite coffees from our travels.”

From the World to You

It’s a complex process to get beans from small farms all over the world into your kitchen cup. Many of these coffee farms are very small. They are also quite often located in extremely rural parts of the world. Infrastructure makes travel to and from these farms tricky. As a result, exporting from these farms is a challenging process. But fair trade and sustainability go hand in hand with the small-farm model. That’s what Darwin’s Coffee is committed to.

Darwin grew up in Honduras, and personally benefited from a local community mission known as The Micah Project. It’s a faith-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing at-risk Honduran youth with resources and skills to make a better future for themselves. Darwin’s Coffee has also supported The Micah Project in the past. Brian and Darwin hope to support other similar community groups in the future.

Coffee Variety is the Spice of Life

What bean variety is the best seller at Darwin’s? Well, coffee is a subjective addiction. Taste buds vary from culture to culture and from person to person. In the big picture, the bean from the Santa Helena region of Honduras is one of their best sellers. It has a bright taste with notes of citrus, floral, milk chocolate, and bright blueberry. The coffee inventory on the website rotates based on seasonality and types of green beans that Brian and Darwin keep on hand.

Java lovers can explore the world and compare the unique flavors from cup to cup. Darwin’s sells varieties from the regions of Honduras, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Costa Rica, Columbia, and Nepal.

Why do Brian and Darwin travel directly to these farms (besides getting to see the world)? Brian explained it this way.

• Direct trade relationships benefit both roasters and producers.
• Brian and Darwin can see the quality of production in person.
• Darwin’s Coffee can help farmers who can't export themselves for whatever reason (usually logistics). Brian and Darwin facilitate relationships so those farmers can benefit from direct trade by proxy. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!

When asked about his preferred brewing method, Brian admitted that he is a huge fan of the Chemex system when he has the luxury of time. If he’s in a bigger hurry, though, Brian does enjoy using a French press. (That’s my favorite method as well!)

My Own Personal Cupping

Brian was kind enough to send me two samples of coffee for tasting. I was so excited to get a bag of Honduran Aposento Alto to try, as well as a bag of Ethiopian Keneon Chire. And I loved that each bag came with a note card telling me all about the bean, the region, and the farm. You can also read about each farmer and see photos of each farm on the Darwin’s Coffee website. I'm a firm believer in fair trade, direct trade, and sustainability. Because of this, I find the detailed information extremely valuable.

Even though each variety was grown in vastly different regions, I wanted to try these coffees side by side.

 

The first thing I do when trying a new variety of java is open the bag and take several long sniffs. OH, MY! The first aroma that came to mind with the Honduran variety was roasted toffee. And cherry is the first scent that came to mind when I inhaled the Ethiopian coffee. The aroma was intense and heady for both of these cups. They were also (not surprisingly) vastly different from one another.

Each cup was rich, balanced, and unique. The descriptions provided on the enclosed cards hit the nail on the head as far as tasting notes go. The freshness was evident with each sip. I was definitely in coffee heaven!

Check out their website, explore a new flavor, and support a coffee farmer directly with your purchase. You’ll be glad you did!

Minimizing: The Video Follow Up

I am NOT a video person, so here is my first attempt at a video blog post. This is just a video to show you what my house looks like now that I have minimized the first round of stuff. Clearly I have plenty left. I didn't go into detail with the kitchen, because it would have been a lot of partially empty cupboards. 

 

Thanks for watching and I apologize for any motion sickness you may receive as a result of this video.  

 



 

 

 

Becoming a Minimalist

This post is about minimizing, but it's about to get a LOT deeper. 2017 is all about soul work. The best place to start is on the outside. So get out your trash bags and join in the fun. Trust me... it will be worth it.

First let me tell you why I decided to start becoming a minimalist.
There are three key reasons why it makes sense right now:

1. We are planning another move at the beginning of June.
2. This move will involve major downsizing, possibly into a 2 bedroom apartment.
3. Now is not the time to even attempt to accumulate more stuff.

Now here are three key reasons for anyone to start minimizing:

1. You are tired of organizing the same crap over and over.
2. Your stuff makes you more stressed than happy.
3. You want to start enjoying the people in your life, not the stuff that has taken over your life.

Where to begin? 

The Closet




This is very close to what my side of the closet looked like before I began.

Your closet is the ideal place to start. The closet is a place of accumulation. It doesn't matter who you are, or what your lifestyle consists of, you could stand a good closet clean out. As a matter of fact, the next time you are really stressed out or had a bad day, do not pick up that bag of chips, or that open that beer. Do not sit on your butt and start watching TV to zone out. Get your ass in that closet and start taking control. It will leave you feeling accomplished and relieve some of the stress you are carrying.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I googled closet minimizing and found a great site Project 333.

Without going into great detail, I basically cut all but my favorite 40 items. This includes shoes, accessories, purses, etc. I will need to find a job in Seattle so I had to keep a few interview type outfits and dressy clothes that I would have probably donated, so I added another 10 work related items.

The keepers. Another round of cuts before we officially leave this state.



Empty hangers. ALL of these were being used before I
started + a handful of other crappy ones I threw away.

The difference with my plan and with Project 333 is that I am not boxing up my clothes to go through another day. They are gone. Done. Adios.

Now what?

The Bathroom
After that initial clean out, I was thirsty for more. I went right for the bathroom cupboards and threw away all of the lotion except one. One single lotion that I use every day. All of the half used smelly lotions were removed. 20 hair brushes, combs, and picks were removed. I have a single hair brush and a single comb. The 50+ contact cases were tossed leaving only 2. It is amazing what you hold onto in a bathroom. You need one toothpaste, one toothbrush, one floss, one bottle of contact solution. I could have stocked a Costco with all of the crap I was hoarding in the bathroom.

Now take one minute to run over to your bathroom (or visualize that lotion storage location) and count how many bottles of lotion you have. This includes travel bottles you will never ever use. Go ahead, I'll wait...

See?!  WTF is wrong with us?!

I am left with one single caboodle full of my bathroom items like makeup, accessories, nail polish, hair ties, etc. + 1 bin of bigger hair stuff, like my curling iron, blow dryer, hair dye stuff and a few counter items I use every day... tooth stuff, deodorant, a single lotion bottle and some self tanner. Hey, I can be a minimalist and still care about how I look.



Caboodle! I know your jealous.

The Office
While I was on this minimizing high I went right for where it hurts me the most... office supplies. I had 5 bins that moved from Michigan to Florida to Colorado and everywhere in between. I never touched any of it. If I wanted something I would just go out and buy it again because I love office supply stores and I am just an incredible nerd... I hear it now.

I have 2 bins left and I know when I make my second rounds of cutting, I will be left with one solitary 20 quart bin.

The Kitchen
I hit the kitchen and went through every cupboard, every drawer. Duplicate items were tossed. I kept a fair amount of kitchen stuff, but I got rid of equally as much. I took all of the unopened boxes from the last move and stuck them out in the garage. I obviously made it through several big holidays and a few months without it. So it's gone now.

I did keep one set of functional utensils and cooking equipment. I also kept the electronic stuff that I use nearly every day: blender, toaster, Keurig, slow cooker, and a food processor. That seems like a lot still, but you should see what I got rid of: Boxes and boxes of barely used kitchen crap.



This weird room off the kitchen has only been used for storage
and garbage.

*BEFORE*

*AFTER*

*BEFORE*



*AFTER*

The Kid Stuff
Clothes... so many clothes.
I almost forgot about the kids clothes and bedrooms. This was serious business. They have so many clothes. A lot of hand me downs. I went through every piece of clothing and choose about 20 outfits - shirt/pant combo - and 5 sets of PJs per kid. I boxed up anything a size bigger and moved the rest out to the garage.

The Toys; a never ending mass of shit to pick up.
The toys that haven't been touched since we moved here are packed up and out of sight - a key when minimizing with kids. I firmly believe that toys should be imaginative and/or educational. The toy food and kitchen stays, the building sets stay, the dress up stuff stays. Games, puzzles, and other educational items stayed. Anything duplicate, broken, or annoying was tossed.

The 4 year old is VERY much into coloring, art, and crafts. While the 2 year old loves cars, trucks, a train table or his road rug.

We downsized the playroom and currently I am confident we would fit comfortably into a 3 bedroom apartment. I still have another round of minimizing to go and I am well aware that if the apartment is a 2 bedroom I will have some hard decisions to make. Let's put it this way, we did have 2 kids bedrooms, a playroom and a school room full of stuff. We are down to 2 kids bedrooms full. That's a major start.

That slide and table in the corner can be taken apart. The tent folds up.
We are ready for a 2 bedroom. <sniff><sob>

The quiet time bin system lives on!!

The Garage... ugh.
The last room to be dealt with will be the garage. Currently I have just been sticking everything out there so it is quite the disaster. When it gets warmer I will decide what gets donated, what gets moved to storage (gym equipment, holiday décor, outdoor gear) during our apartment years, and what gets taken with us.

 I wish I would have taken more before and after photos. There was such a difference in the amount of stuff. Next round I will try and make it more visual.

If you are ready to take 2017 by the balls, I suggest you drop me a message or leave a comment. Let's do this together! It's time to clean out your soul. The first step is to clean out the outside. So get minimizing, and get ready to change your life this year. There is so much more to come...

Word for 2016: Shocking

If I had one word for 2016 it would be shocking. It was full of shocking moments that were both happy and unbearably tragic. Some of the moments that will be burned into my memory are when Dan decided he wanted to go back to school, we sold a house, we moved, I lost a parent, Kenzie learned to read and write, and finally learning that a whole new journey has been laid out in front of me.

 

 

Now, I am not going to put up a white picket fence around a yard full of dog turds. There were moments this year when I pleaded with God to make me wake up from this horrific nightmare. I had to wrap my arms around my body for days because it was the only way I could physically and emotionally hold myself together. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t even feel. I played the fake-it-till-you-make-it game for weeks just so no one would have to be burdened about my well-being. I felt the hands of darkness pulling at me.

However, two things always remain true:

1. Life is just a series of moments.

2. Light always trumps dark.

There is no time to succumb to the dark when you have to be a parent. With a 2 & 3 year old life is a list of tasks with no time in between for self-reflection, or grieving, or even processing. I went through the usual stages of grief, lingering in the poor me, life is unfair stage for a little too long.

 

 

When I realized that it was getting me nowhere I adopted my usual mental mantra “scientia potentia est.” Knowledge is power. I read books about grieving, I spent all of my free time - so about 15 minutes a week - writing to work out my feelings, reading more books, looking for signs, and trying to appear as normal as possible.

Finally, I just sat quietly and processed everything that had been happening in my peripheral vision. There were some really great moments mixed into this mess of change and emotion. If I had to choose between dwelling on the terrible moments and holding on to the great ones, what am I choosing right now?  Which do I want to choose?  What are YOU choosing right now?

It is in those moments that I decided I would only go to the light because light beats dark. Every. Time. Don’t believe me? Go into a dark closet in the middle of the night, turn on a flashlight or light a match… darkness can’t snuff out the light. Light always wins.

 

 

I would say most people do some soul searching after a tragedy and I am no different.  I found, nay, was guided to begin a new journey. One of the highlights includes doing random acts of kindness for people. This is interesting because up until now I have not really been much a people person. I have always preferred animals over people, I generally keep my head down so I don’t have to talk to people, and let’s face it… I am a work-at-home, small business accountant… my career literally was designed so I didn’t have to interact with people.

A few days ago I was prompted to do something kind for a stranger. Very simply, I bought a woman’s meal at subway. The moment I paid, the feeling of light and gratification I got from spending $5 on a stranger, made me happier than anything I have felt in months. My heart felt like it swelled up and was about to burst. My head was tingly like after a glass of wine on an empty stomach. You couldn’t slap the smile off my face for hours. As I was leaving subway she called out with tears in her eyes “Why did you do this?” I just called back “Merry Christmas!”

 

 

On the way home I felt my dad sitting in the passenger seat looking at me smiling. I could feel the proud radiating from him. It was a moment of complete happiness, joy, and contentment. It’s those moments of happiness when I can feel my Dad so close it’s as if he never left, and I'm beginning to realize he hasn't.

If you have lost a loved one, you have probably experienced a feeling that they were near at a particular time. My experience with my Dad being close and helping to guide me out of grief and into a realm of happiness and contentment goes way beyond this one instance, but that story is for another post, or another blog, or you might just think I’m nuts.

My 2017 journey begins with great happiness and light, when it could have easily ended in grief and darkness. To me that is shocking. I would have never imaged I would lose my Dad while he was so young. I would have never expected to find happiness while finding a way to live without him. I have new opportunities to change lives on the horizon and that is more hope than I could have possibly imagined at this point in my life.

 

 

So 2017, I am ready for you. Let’s head to Seattle and start changing the world!

If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one, please reach out to me. It would be nice to find like-minded individuals to help processes our grief together. If you see signs like pennies, feathers, rainbows, or just a feeling that you know they are there... I can assure you, they are. Thank you for reading!

A family that fills the void.

First trip home since that-which-must-not-be-named happened. I won't get into the details of my whole trip, just what I learned from the family I have been distant from since I moved away.

The morning we were leaving for Michigan started normal enough... I walked out of my bedroom to let the dogs out and Ketcher was screaming "I HAVE TO POOP!!!"

We rushed to the potty and he had explosive diarrhea. At the same time Kenzie walked in the bathroom, grabbed the teal waste basket and started puking into it.

We wrapped the car in plastic and I brought 4 changes of clothes for each of them. I was praying for no sickness on the plane, but it might have made the security line in Denver a little faster. Either way, we were lucky enough to have neither kid sick until the car ride to Flint.

A few days into the trip we went up north (Michigan style) to hang out at The Ranch. This place rivaled the ritziest place I've ever been... except maybe The Louvre for obvious reasons.  If that's what going up north is count me in!!! 

This is The Ranch at night... imagine the day time pic!
Which I forgot to take...

A giant elk was the first thing we saw at The Ranch.
You know it's real because he's peeing.

 

After dropping the kids with my nephew's very sweet fiancé, we headed to the rifle river to scatter my dad's ashes. We could feel the Devine intervention simply because the weather was strangely 65 degrees in the middle of November... in Michigan... if that isn't weird, I don't know what is.

Beautiful setting where he can fish from now on.

It was very serene and could have been emotional until, without thinking, I handed the ashes to my nephew and said "So do you want to do a ceremonial ash shaking?"  If you didn't find that line funny, say it out loud. Hear it now? 

Thanks Dad for sending me the line "ash shaking"
while we are trying to do something serious.

We headed over to one more location. It was a camp ground with the most beautiful, unfiltered view of the sunset we could have ever asked for.

If this doesn't say Heaven, what does?

I managed to keep my mouth shut at this location and I took some great pics. This is after the scattering with my mom, sister, and nephews Brandon and Wes.

Unfiltered Michigan beauty.
 

We headed back to The Ranch, where we toured the property, saw more elk and deer, and I said more inappropriate things by accident. At least I learned to keep my mouth shut while people talk about beavers.

The downside to staying at this luxury location was my daughter, who was both tired and sick, decided she would channel a demon. I know she is only 3, and we all know 3 year olds are like earthquakes, leaving devastation and tears in their wakes, but I know she CAN be a really good girl. Apparently she didn't want anyone to know that about her, so she refused to eat, she made high pitched barking noises, wouldn't keep her feet off the table, and had a threenager attitude.

My sister and her family were classy, loving, and gracious to us despite my little terror. They taught my kids how to fish, took them on tractor rides, played with bubbles, colored pictures together, and were just wonderful people to be around.

Auntie Stacy teaching Ketcher how to fish.
My Dad would have been so proud.

They really got into looking at the bugs living
under the dock.

Ketcher going for a tractor ride with Uncle Anthony.

Kenzie's turn!

This trip has shown me that the huge void my Dad left in my heart is filled by this family that I have been so distant from since I moved away.

My niece, Alayna, who is equally as goofy as she is beautiful.
My nephew, Wes & his fiancé Ashley, who are complete opposites in nearly every way, except they are both old souls that probably knew each other long before this life.
My nephew, Brandon, who grew into such a compassionate gentleman. I just wanted to kidnap him and bring him back to Colorado with us. Kenzie put up the picture he colored for her in her bedroom to remember him... since she couldn't seem to remember his name in person.
My brother-in-law, Anthony, rough around the edges, but made sure to give my kids the full ranch experience. I know he will be the one to teach them why their Papa loved the outdoors.

George Washington hair compliments of Alayna!

Most of all my sister who is more like my Dad than I think she even knows. She's compassionate, loving, great with kids, hilarious, unselfish, and gave me the most incredible way to remember my dad... by spending time with her and her amazing family.

She also, hand sewed this pillow from one of my Dad's favorite shirts for me.

Thank you Best family, I am beyond grateful to have you in my life. Dad lives on through every one of you.

Just thought this pic was funny.

Facing My Thoughts

 

The house is quiet. So eerily quiet I question if I haven't gone completely deaf. My dogs are sleeping near the windows in the living room. My kids sleep in their rooms upstairs. I am sitting on the couch feeling the sun warm up the room. It's 2pm. My work is done for the moment and I am left with my thoughts.

I have been avoiding my thoughts. Keeping busy creating activities for the kids, finding new recipes, unpacking the new house, dealing with sick kids, staying caught up with work just so I won't need to think. I guess I am worried at what I might feel when it is quiet. Sadness that I lost my Dad? Worried that we have to move again in less than a year? Nervous that my entire life is completely changing?

The answers are complicated, but ultimately I am okay. There is no doubt that my dad was taken WAY too soon for my liking, but he didn't suffer even a moment. Did you know that he had just finished an ice cream bar? He said "That was good." Isn't that how we all want to go?  His food choices and smoking habits could have ended his life with years of suffering. It would have been so much more painful to witness his robust self withering away at the hands of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.

He is good now. I know he is good because he is with me. I used to see him only a few times a year or when he would walk through while I was FaceTiming my mom. Now I feel him with me all the time, every moment of every day. I can hear him every time I order a coke and they say "We only have Pepsi." He says "I guess I'll survive." I can see him covering his mouth and giggling when my mom finds stacks of brand new clothes buried beneath his favorite holy tee-shirts he continued to wear. I am sure Dan is channeling him when he refuses to buy gas at a station 3 cents more than the one 30 minutes away. I can still feel him rooting for the lions and then shaking his head when they play just like they always did.

I know he is with my kids too because they bring up "papa in the hat" at random times throughout the day. They haven't seen him in person in months, but they say they miss "papa in the hat" and that he is having lunch with friends. I can see him whenever Ketcher wears his lions sweatshirt, or hat.

On Halloween this year, you can bet he is going to be haunting the lady that threatened to sue him when he wore the gorilla suit and scared the living shit out of her years ago.

Maybe I don't need to avoid my thoughts completely. When I tune them in they really do bring me joy and laughter.

I am still worried about our next move. I am still trying to steady myself. I am still avoiding long silences, but I am not sad. I am living and he is right there along side me giving me strength and telling me to stop wearing jeans with holes in them.

Got it Dad! Maybe I will...

I will get back to parenting and humor as soon as I can, as always thank you for reading!

In Loving Memory of My Dad

11 days ago I was flying home to spend time with my family. I had no idea I would only be granted a few hours with my Dad before he passed away.

If you were lucky enough to know him, you can imagine the pain I might be feeling right now. It feels endless.


However, if he could communicate with me right now he would be making jokes about finally getting to play poker with Wild Bill Hickok.

That doesn't look like a poker face.

I have pasted my memorial speech below.  I hope you enjoy reading it and please smile and remember all of the joy he brought to our lives.

***

In loving memory of my dad, whose essence can’t be described in a 500 character obituary.

My dad didn’t want a funeral. He would never want us to stand around crying for his loss.  This is a celebration of his life. Tonight we will tell stories and jokes and not be afraid to laugh. We will live exactly as he wished: With compassion in our hearts and a smile on our faces, bringing joy and light to everyone here tonight.

I hope that sharing my own stories of my dad will make you remember, make you laugh, and encourage you to share your own stories.

He was a simple man that loved family, hunting, poker, the Detroit Lions and of course fishing. Going through hundreds of pictures no matter how big or small the fish was, he still had the same gigantic smile on his face with every catch.  

Every year, while my friends went to the beach, or Disney World, or skiing for spring break, he and I would pack up for a week of camping and fishing. He would tell amazing stories and have all of us kids believing in Sasquatch and the magic of our Sasquatch sticks that we had created that day out of tree branches. His ghost stories were so scary that a 12 year old could wet their pants. (Don't ask how I know that.) We would hike around the rivers and through the forests. Once I slipped and fell into a giant mud puddle.

Immediately he halted our crew and said: “Amanda, are you okay?”

I said (through gritted teeth): “yes.”

Then he said: “Okay everyone, you can go ahead and laugh now.” Everyone burst out laughing.

Each one of us can stand here and tell a story about how he made us laugh. When I was in elementary school we were asked to talk about what our Dad’s did for a living.

I said “My dad is a comedian.”

My teacher said “I don’t think that’s right, can you explain what he does?”

I said “He sits on a stool and makes jokes into a microphone.”

At the time I didn’t realize the difference between “comedian” and “committee man” at GM but either way I think we all can agree he was always making us laugh.

I can’t think of anyone that would make a better Santa Claus than my dad. When he would put on that suit he became the real Santa Claus. Giving out gifts and laughs to all of the children and adults every year on Christmas Eve. When the children were grown he and my mom would still play Santa by paying mortgages, delivering cookies, and visiting with family and friends.  In my mind he was the real Santa Claus…. Unless he had on a Grinch mask, in which case, don’t even try messing with his bag of candy.

Photo credit: Havasunews
Shockingly there are a bunch of photos of the Grinch
getting arrested so I guess he's not the only one. 

He wasn’t much of a talker, but he would sit on the end of my bed as I played with my toys and just listen to the ramblings of a little girl. He was always there, ready to give me a hug whenever I did or didn’t need it.

In 7^th grade I tried out for cheerleading. I’m sure my parents were dreading tryouts watching their uncoordinated, 11 year old in crooked glasses, practicing for the big day. When that day arrived and my name was not called, my dad drove me home as I cried. He said no words, and just simply handed me a roll of life savers.

To say that my dad loved the Detroit Lions is an understatement. I doubt there was another person that ever rooted for them as wholeheartedly and loudly as my dad.

On my 16^th birthday he took me to my first and only lions game. He yelled so loud from the upper deck at the silver dome I was sure the coach and players could hear him. I’m also sure that’s one of the reasons I have to wear hearing aids today. I will never forget that trip or how often he yelled out to  Herman Moore, or that Greg Landry leaned on the ball one too many times.

That bottom pic is on my 16th birthday.
Clearly I was thrilled.

My dad was a big kid at heart and treated every child like his own. He would walk all of the kids in the neighborhood to school with me. He told cheesy dad jokes and growing up all of my friends would wish they had him as a dad. Even as adults at my bachelorette party he told my friends to call him when the night was over and he would drive them to the diner for breakfast and then home. Oddly enough… that’s exactly what they did. It wasn’t because one of them couldn’t drive, it was just because it was Tom and people just wanted to be around him.

Family always held a special place in his heart.

It didn’t matter if I lived in the same town or hundreds of miles away he would always answer the phone the same way:

 “Is this the person to who I am speaking to?”

38 years of marriage to my mom and it’s undeniable that they loved each other just as much as they always did.  He beamed with pride when he talked about his grand kids. My kids may be too young to remember him, but he will live on through my stories and memories. I will retell his jokes and sing his silly songs to them. He will never be forgotten and he will always bring laughter.  

I know if I ask him tonight: “Dad, are you okay? He would answer yes… you can go ahead and laugh now.”

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share your memories here or on facebook.