Month: January 2017

Day 96 – Thankful for Uncle Frank

I need your help!  Please help my Uncle Frank enter the Pack Hall of Fame by voting here!

My Uncle Frank is by far and away the biggest Packer fan I’ve ever met in my life.  He absolutely bleeds Green and Gold and is one of 10 finalists for the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame.  There’ve been some pretty great articles and videos about him and his awesome fanaticism for the Green and Gold, the links below continue to amaze me:

There are a couple of things that make me extremely thankful for my Uncle Frank today, and they actually don’t have much to do with the Packers.  They have more to do with the way he acts like a big kid and helps others do the same, and his non-stop positive attitude and contagious enthusiasm.  While I have many memories of him and Aunt Andrea that leave me smiling,

A few years back I got “the call.”  It’s the call that you change plans for, the call that re-prioritizes your calendar, and leaves you smiling while you do it.  “Hey Mike, it’s Uncle Frank.  Would you like to go to the Packer game?”  Hmm…  Let me think it over…  Umm…  YES!!!  I’m not even sure what he said after “like to go” as I was already saying yes.  True to Uncle Frank form we met up at the stadium long before the gates opened and were lined up in front of everyone else ready to go in.  He HAS to be the first person in and pretty much sprints into the stadium.  While Dominic and I struggled to keep up we met up with him at the end zone where he was already in a conversation with the security guy that he obviously already knew.  As the Packers warmed up he grabbed the field goal net and helped Dominic catch the footballs as Mason Crosby booted in practice kick after practice kick.  After a brief conversation with another security guard the three of us were on the field and taking in what it meant to stand on Lambeau Field.  It was AWESOME!!!  The part of the experience that I remember the most about Uncle Frank was the child like smile that he had on his face and the high level of excitement he had for every step of something that he does at least 8 times a year.  My Uncle Frank wasn’t an adult with adult stress, concerns, health issues, or any responsibility.  He was a big kid, enjoying the moment, totally in awe of what was going on around him, consumed by the present, and savoring every single second of it.  That smile on his face is permanently burned into my brain and is the first thing I think of when I think of Uncle Frank.  The expression on his face was pure joy, happiness and appreciation for the present.

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Standing at the front of the line, ready for an incredible experience!
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Uncle Frank showing Dominic part of Lambeau before catching field goals.

At a family reunion a couple of years ago he busted out a prized possession from his childhood that he had recently re-acquired – a Johnny Seven OMA (One Man Army) toy gun.  My mom used to tell me stories of how much he loved that toy and all the fun he used to have with it.  At the get together he decided to bring it out for the kids and it was AWESOME!!!  He was showing them all seven guns built into one, shooting them with the boys, encouraging them to take turns with it, and was, once again, a big kid enjoying the moment.  I still laugh out loud when I remember the way he used the Johnny 7 voice as he re-enacted great battles from his childhood.  The kids had so much fun with him, and all of us adults were left thinking about how much fun we had playing as kids.  Again, the smile on his face told the whole story.  It was pure joy, happiness and appreciation for the present.

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Uncle Frank showing Gavin and Dominic the Johnny Seven OMA

Those two stories really sum up why I’m thankful for my Uncle Frank.  His energy and positive attitude are totally contagious and you can’t help but be happy when you talk with him.  He’s always outwardly happy, talking about the good things in life and never dwells on the negative.  I have yet to hear him complain about any health issues, stress, or anything, it’s nothing but positive.  He cracks jokes that leave us rolling with laughter.  He’s the uncle that all of us hope to have and the uncle we all hope to be for our nephews and nieces.  He’s a role model for all of us on the importance of staying positive, enjoying the moment, and being a big kid at heart.  I love him tremendously and so incredibly fortunate to have him in my life.

So all that being said, I’m asking for your help.  Please hop online and vote at least once (or daily and from as many devices as you have if you’d prefer) for my Uncle Frank to get into the Packer Fan Hall of Fame.  It’d mean a lot to him and I’d appreciate the help greatly.  It’s the least I can do to help someone who’s an inspiration to me!

Thanks!!!

Day 95 – Thankful for Christmas at Mom’s

Day 95 – Thankful for Christmas at Mom’s

Day 95 – Thankful for Christmas at Mom’s

There’s something pretty powerful about tradition, isn’t there?  While in most of my life I suffer from Shiny Syndrome and am constantly looking for the next new thing, it seems like tradition and the same old same old would drive me crazy.  That said, there are a handful of times in my life in which I long for the usual and am excited for the same old.  Christmas at my mom’s is one of those times.

Every year there are a couple of new twists, old almost forgotten things brought back, and many of the same events, patterns, and foods from the year before, and the year before, and the year before, from as far back as I can remember.  For instance, when I was growing up we always opened presents on Christmas Eve, and no matter how late we arrive to Mom & Brad’s we always open presents that first night.

It would almost seem almost criminal to not start with the food!  There’s a non-stop stream of fantastic eats from huge meals to snacks to desserts to drinks.  The funny thing is that in many cases there’s a pretty cool association between the food and memories.  Christmas just can’t happen until I’ve have my mom’s peanut butter fudge and spritz cookies.  Period.  I know, kind of opposite of what the Grinch says, but it’s one of the ways that I know it is really Christmas.  Big meal (smoked brisket and chicken) after big meal (steak and crab).  Snacks (hold the phone…  Becky just filled me in that my mom is making taco meatballs too…  SCORE!!!!) Where was I again?  Oh yeah, food induced comas!   This year she busted out one of my favorite recipes from when I was a kid and made some cream cheese mint candies that I loved so much as a kid that I included them in a recipe book we made in elementary school.  Did I mention the homemade Bailey’s that always leaves me wanting more?  Of course the food is insanely delicious, but the think I am most thankful for about it is not the taste.  The part of all of the food that I am most thankful for is that my mom goes out of her way and busts her butt to make sure that she makes exactly what each of us like most.  She puts a ton of time and energy into making the foods that each of us like most.

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Before supper we’ll crack open the little mini-snap gifts that contain a small cracker jack style prize and a crown.  We’ll trade out crowns until everyone has the right color and those of us with large heads (me) have one that fits and we’ll laugh at how dorky we all look.  And we’ll enjoy every minute of it!

After supper we’ll play the gift exchange game that we always play, we will antagonize each other as we always do, we will play absolutely cutthroat and steal gifts from everyone including small children, and after all the gifts we win are opened the all seem to get passed around to the person who would like the gift the most.  We have fun being competitive and then have more fun giving stuff to each other.  Behind the scenes is Mom, who spent a ton of time shopping  for and wrapping the small gifts.  As the rest of us smile and have fun together I’m starting to think she has the biggest smile watching us all have a great time together.

I’ve got to cut this off quick, it’s time for appetizers!

To wrap this up, here’s what I appreciate the most about Christmas at Mom’s.  She puts 100% of herself into making sure that Christmas is magical every year.  The Christmas traditions she holds on to are meant to create an incredible family experience that we will remember and cherish for the rest of our lives.  In this she’s incredibly successful as I can remember every single Christmas I’ve had with her.

My mom gets that there’s just a special magic to Christmas, this wonderful excuse to pull family all together and create happiness.  Throughout the entire time she gives and gives and gives and asks nothing in return, all of her energy and focus being put into making it perfect for everyone else.  The thing that I appreciate most about Christmas at my mom’s is that she reminds me of the importance of family and the importance of giving of oneself…  She is the embodiment of the Christmas spirit and for that I am thankful.

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Thanks!!!