memories...

There are so many great memories of K. Monday night before he died he came in to get me from work, we walk out the door and he has left the car running with Justin Beiber blasting loudly from it "Baby baby baby OHH" and he danced and grooved all the way back to the car, you could not miss this big guys dancing, and I heard how fun he was from several people who saw him that night.

The week before he picked me up and it had been pay day the next day, but he heard the Mcrib was back (gross I know) so while we were waiting for the kids for dance we counted out change in the car so he could get a Mcrib for dinner. He then sighed and told me, "MMMM better than sex and a lollipop"

I was always so impressed with what a great people reader he was, so much so that when he was working with Jody Wilkinson at the truck store and the closed it and brought a couple of the salesman to the Acura store he was the only one who could handle the drastic change in clientele. I loved to watch him at parties and social events, he was such a people watcher. He would be quiet and meet everyone for the first party of the event, until he knew his audience... and how far he could push them. By the end of the nigh the WHOLE group, would be just circled around him to hear what he had to say, and I would have to drag him out the door... although he always tried to make it like it was me being dragged.

He was sooo generous. There were countless times I was sooo irritated, when we were dating an married, because he would stop to help someone and we would be late to a movie or something, but he made certain they were okay and safe and if he could fix whatever was wrong he did. There was one time recently we saw a cute VW bug stranded. K was getting ready to turn the other way and flipped around and got out to see what was wrong. It had been a young kid, and K checked out the engine and told the kid to get in the truck... he was very hesitant until he saw me (K had been in his day off clothes, bare foot, gym shorts, and tee, his tattoos showing and his earrings in)I remember laughing because the kids mom had called, and like K did, he instantly had the young kid at ease.... but the mom obviously wasn't convinced. he was saying "Yeah mom I really am good, he is really nice. We are going to the parts store, he said he can fix it... I know my (and in a whisper) it's ok he has a wife and kid with him" K took him in, bought the needed part, and took him back and stayed til it was running and he was on his way.

There was another time we had come out of the store with our groceries for the week after preparing the list and he saw a trailer with a man sitting out with a sign, "stranded with family, hungry, any help appreciated" He was always careful about giving money to strangers and homeless but he couldn't not help them. He said take go back in and get our list again, and he took our groceries to this man for his family. I got back out to the car and he was a little teary, said we had been the first people to help, they were moving form out of state and had their wallet stolen and hadn't eaten for a while.

Working downtown he saw several homeless people, and again didn't give money but gave everything else he could. We would buy cases of water, and gatorade in the summer because he didn't want them dehydrated. when the weather turned and it got chilly he came home one night and went through his clothes for things he hadn't worn in a long while, and asked the kids to do the same. He took the bags in to work and gave them to a couple homeless families, and told them to keep warm. He said he felt much better seeing a coat on them he hadn't worn in ages than in the closet collecting dust.

He was such a great dad, there were several nights he just wanted to spend with his kids, and homework or extra activities be damned. There were many late night school night movie nights... we kept the tv in our room until recently and we would order chinese and the kids would make a bed at the foot of our bed and we would watch a movie, which we never made it though because it was usually late. The night before he passed, I got home from Ikea and he said "hurry we are having a movie night" we were watching Harry Potter 6. We had pizza and left over halloween candy. I voiced my objections, it was a school night, it was late, but he insisted... I am so glad he did.

He was the neighborhood gossip... ask any of the ladies in our circle. I would get home from teaching and all the neighbor ladies would be gathered on our lawn discussing so and so or this or that. He loved to talk. and would until late into the night if you let him.

There are so many, and I could just keep going... He is a great man, and father.