{Thanks to Aunt Julie for this photo!}
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Little Birds.
Racer X!
THE BIG DAY IS HERE
"I'm going to be drunk on my birthday 24/7!"
"Your going to be as sober as kingdom be..."
Mike English-The Book of Brendan.
"Your going to be as sober as kingdom be..."
Mike English-The Book of Brendan.
Happy Birthday Big Boy!
From all of us then.
and from all of us now!
Now you can finally buy me a real beer!
We love ya to tears!
Just kidding!
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been. The foresight to know where you're going, and the insight to know when you've gone too far.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A Final Word.
Tomorrow is the big day!
We kid him an awful lot but we think Michael is a pretty good guy. We're really proud of him around here and have enjoyed this trip down memory lane, most of which has come at his expense. There is one final thing that I have to say. To put this together I must have looked at 3-500 pictures. There was enough material to do a whole book. Frankly though I don't have the time, nor do you all have the interest in going through most of it. However there was one thing I noticed. In almost every picture, no matter the event or time or place, in almost every picture I looked at.....
...Mike was always smiling.
A Few More From College
Some of the best friends in college we've been saving for last!!!!
Didn't I say, "we'll save the best for last"!!!!
Mike's Friends College
Mike has made some really good choices for friends in college as well.
Again I just don't know about this one below!
The More Things Change....
Monday, May 23, 2011
Mike's Friends High School
By High School his group had outgrown our basement.
and branched out to other activities
Mike's Friends
Mike has been fortunate enough {some would say smart enough} to surround himself with great friends. I'm going to start with the River Forest folks and then move on.
My office is in my home and in about 5th grade all these boys started showing up to play basketball or just hang out. They were great to have around and even though we seemed to be always out of Soda, juice boxes or snacks, we just loved having these guys around.
My office is in my home and in about 5th grade all these boys started showing up to play basketball or just hang out. They were great to have around and even though we seemed to be always out of Soda, juice boxes or snacks, we just loved having these guys around.
Baseball: Postscript
BTW I can still strike him out in wiffle ball. Kid still can't lay off the high one!!
Baseball the End.
I said at the beginning of this that it was a tale of despair and redemption. Mike finally earned that redemption this year when his team won PC's intramural softball championship. Here you go Michael. This Bud's for you. You've earned it!
Redemption: Wiffle Ball
Michael finally earned redemption of sorts playing wiffle ball. Every year we have taken a family vacation out to Rhode Island. Wiffle ball is a large part of that tradition. With cousins and all there are a lot of us, the games can become pretty competitive.
In 2008 we played against another family in the same area who had as many kids as we did. Our average "Kid Age" was probably 14. Theirs was about 10. At any rate the game was all tied in the last inning and our kids had a runner on third when "Sluggo" came up to bat. All those years of frustration came to the fore and he hit a hard hook shot down the right field line to score the winning run.
I used to have a picture of this but can't seem to find it. What I've never had was a picture of the look the parents of the losing side gave Mike when he walked off the field and asked if he could have a beer. Originally we were supposed to play this tournament every year. So far we haven't been asked back!
Black 05 {Don't Stop Believing!}
Mike's league playing days were over but he had more important things to worry about. Most of his friends were Chicago White Sox fans. Mike liked the Cubs. Short of dying the worst thing for a 14 year old kid around here to experience was the other team winning the World Series. In 2005 that
is exactly
what happened!
Since that time the Cubs while winning back-to-back division titles in 2007-2008 really haven't been able to get much going. For the record they were swept right out of the playoffs in both those years. This year looks to be a typical Cub's disaster as the 3 game series just completed in Boston will attest.
Michael keeps the burn of 2005 deep within him like the Texans screamed "Remember the Alamo!" Ask him sometime about this chant.
Ozzie, AJ, Paulie, Buehrle, Freddie, Crede, Scottie Pods, Jermaine Dye.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)