Best Summer Ever???

We all went to high school together and graduated the same year.  Sean was a year younger than us. We all wanted to get out of Ohio, and just to just relax before we started school.  It was the summer of 2000. My friends were on our way to Florida for the last summer Hurrah. It was me, Nic Stojak, Jason Heyder, Joe Bauer, Jim Price, Steve Jankowski, Sean Clifford. For some of us, that summer was the last time we all had time to hang out as a group. That was the summer, that we were either at Ohio State or at Columbus State. We all started school in September and it was around August that we went for a vacation.

We drove from Hilliard, Ohio in the evening time to go to St. Petersburg Florida in the morning. We rented a suite in St. Petes, for the 7 of us. We had a suite on the 4th floor overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We all had fun, reminiscing about our past, talking about our present and talking about our future. None of us knowing what the future held for each of us. Heck, I didn't think I'd live in Taiwan...and that was a very last thing on my mind.


 
During that week, I learned new things about my friends.  I learned that Jim snores, which can be heard thru a closed door. Jason and Steve were snorers, they shared a room. Their snores could be heard from 2 closed doors. I learned that Jason and Steve, although good friends love to argue the heck out of each other. Jim, the peacemaker was always trying to calm Jason and Steve down. Nic...he's just a dedicated fun-aholic.  To this day, he still is the fun-aholic. Joe...although we didn't know back then, already had inklings of the chef that he's going to be.

Its 11 years later and though we're not so close as we were back in 2000, we still keep in touch thru Facebook, the occasional marriage and thru MSN. These are my friends. They came to my wedding instead of being at the start of the Ohio State vs Michigan game in 2008. Thanks guys!!!


Now, I am married with a naughty kid. Jason is married. Jim is also married. Joe is currently dating a very beautiful girl from pictures I saw on Facebook. Steve is all tatted up and doing his own thing. Nic, he's the one that hasn't grown up, but for all intents and purposes, he's doing something that he loves, playing sports and enjoying it.


Was it the best summer EVER? Probably, but it was one of the last times we all hung out as a group.

kiss bye and I did it again.

My son has learned to say Bye. But the funny part of him saying kiss bye is that, we'll, he only says the BYE part. He doesn't know how to say Kiss yet. He opens his palm to his mouth and moves his hand away from his mouth and says "Bye."

In any case, he can say Bye and something which sounds really similar to "I did it again." I taught him to say "I did it again" when he was about 8 or 9 months old. He's now 1 yr 3 months old and he mumbles nonsense and I of course say, "Really?" "How did that happen?"  Gladys plays along and its fun to see them interacting.  

They say this is the fun time of our kid's growth because he now interacts with us more and more.  Gaining more and more independence and his own opinions  That story, will be for another day. I'm going to do what my son does and say I did it again, Kiss Bye! :-) 

The Kid

Here's something old I wrote back in March 2010 on Facebook.

Back in January of 2010, it was probably the most scary time of my life and also the most happy. The night before Gladys told me that she was going to the doctors for a check up. She had an idea that her body was changing. For me, I thought she was having the flu. So it was no big deal, go to the doctor, get a check up, take some meds and get better. I didn't know what was coming would change our lives FOREVER.

The next day while I was at work, minding my own business, my wife Gladys calls me on my cell phone. I pick up and say "Hello?" She says, "I'M PREGNANT!!!" I was stunned silent. It was one of those moments where I should have said something. I should have said "Atta Boy Howie" but silence, absolute silence for about 10 seconds on the phone. I finally muttered something, and still I don't remember what I said. Since the news of the pregnancy wasn't a full 3 months yet, I couldn't tell anyone at work. My parents were asleep due to the time difference, between Taiwan and the US. I just sat in silence at work doing what I had done before, but I was more distracted than anything else. Chinese customs said that its bad luck to announce a pregnancy before 3 months.

That night, I told my parents about the good news and what was most surprising was that my sister Jennfier was more excited than my parents. Thats what you get for having Asian parents. In the end, when I met Gladys that evening, I finally had to smile and what she said earlier finally sunk in. I'm going to be a Dad, we're going to be parents.

So the Kid, a son by the way, will be due in July. More responsibilities, more joy, more laughs. To the next stage in life, more growing up.

Getting to know me

Getting to know me is like opening a book to this book that's been on this shelf for years. You know its there, and you have a desire to read it, but don't have the time.

But when you go pick up the book and realize why did I leave this book here? You open up the book and realize its not a boring book, but full of stories and each time you read it, you get something different out of it.

Well that book is me. I've got stories to tell, most of the stories I tell are in Taiwan, but a majority of it is outside Taiwan.  As you get to know me, you'll know why I "dance" the way that I do.