Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Congratulations to Kim and Mike...
On Saturday our niece, Kim Riestenberg, married her long time boyfriend, Mike Maly at St. Williams Church on the west side of town. Kim and Mike have dated since they were freshmen in high school; that dates back over 10 years. You have to hand it to Kim for being so patient and wonder what took Mike so long to pop the question! Actually, they are both great kids, they did this at their own pace and I know they're going to spend many wonderful years together.
The wedding ceremony was beautiful and we had a blast at the reception. All the cousins, nieces and nephews filled the dance floor until the DJ had to call it a night. I hear they took the party to a west side watering hole but living about 30 miles away, we decided to make a night of it and head home.
So congrats, again, to Kim and Mike - may you have many years of happiness as husband and wife.
The wedding ceremony was beautiful and we had a blast at the reception. All the cousins, nieces and nephews filled the dance floor until the DJ had to call it a night. I hear they took the party to a west side watering hole but living about 30 miles away, we decided to make a night of it and head home.
So congrats, again, to Kim and Mike - may you have many years of happiness as husband and wife.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tomorrow is a day I've been dreading since 11/3/88...
That was the day we welcomed Judd into this world. Even back then, as I held this little, 8 pound-8 ounce bundle of joy in my arms, I thought about how sad it was going to be the day he leaves the family home to follow his dreams and begin to leave his own mark on the world. Well, that day has arrived. Tomorrow we'll load up the car and drive up I-75 to Dayton where Judd will be a member of UD's class of 2011.
I know he's only going to be about 40 miles away. Due to weddings and other activites, he'll actually be coming home the first three weekends he's in school. But I also know over the next 4 years he'll make new friends, his home visits will become less frequent and he may even decide to study abroad one summer - he's just not going to be around everyday anymore and I'm going to miss that.
I remember back to 1976 when I left for Ohio State and how excited I was to get out of the house and be on my own. I'm sure Judd feels the same way. But I don't remember my parents being sad about me leaving; they seemed to be just as excited to see me head off to school as I was. But I grew up in a family of 8 so maybe that had something to do with it. (Or maybe I was a pain in the ass and they were happy to see me go!!)
Judd has provided us with many wonderful memories. Sure, there have been times when he's tested our patience but for the most part he's been a great kid. He's always laughing, very creative and even when he has gotten into a little trouble; he's taken his punishment like a man and accepted the consequences. Julie and I are very proud of the young man he has become.
I think we've done a good job raising him. He knows right from wrong. We've had the talks. Julie had a check list of all the talks she's wanted to have with him throughout the summer. Hopefully, between us and his Catholic education, Judd's ready to take on the next challenge; I'm just not ready for him to do it. I know there will be some tears shed tomorrow when we head home from Dayton and leave him behind.
So, our house is about to get a lot quieter. Most of the time you hardly know Aaron is around and Abbey doesn't make much noise unless she has friends over. In fact, the only time Aaron or Abbey ever get loud is when Judd is harrassing or teasing them. With Judd at school , the household dynamic is certainly going to change. Of course the big winner in all this is Aaron. He'll finally have the bedroom to himself, for the next year he'll have the 3rd car to himself. But I also know deep down he's going to miss his big brother; so will Abbey.
It's hard to believe how fast the past 18 years have flown by and that the day I've dreaded since November 3, 1988 is only a day away. I doubt that sentiment will change over night. But as much as I dread seeing him leave, I'm equally excited for Judd because I know he's going to have a great time and flourish in college. I know he'll make us all proud.
I know he's only going to be about 40 miles away. Due to weddings and other activites, he'll actually be coming home the first three weekends he's in school. But I also know over the next 4 years he'll make new friends, his home visits will become less frequent and he may even decide to study abroad one summer - he's just not going to be around everyday anymore and I'm going to miss that.
I remember back to 1976 when I left for Ohio State and how excited I was to get out of the house and be on my own. I'm sure Judd feels the same way. But I don't remember my parents being sad about me leaving; they seemed to be just as excited to see me head off to school as I was. But I grew up in a family of 8 so maybe that had something to do with it. (Or maybe I was a pain in the ass and they were happy to see me go!!)
Judd has provided us with many wonderful memories. Sure, there have been times when he's tested our patience but for the most part he's been a great kid. He's always laughing, very creative and even when he has gotten into a little trouble; he's taken his punishment like a man and accepted the consequences. Julie and I are very proud of the young man he has become.
I think we've done a good job raising him. He knows right from wrong. We've had the talks. Julie had a check list of all the talks she's wanted to have with him throughout the summer. Hopefully, between us and his Catholic education, Judd's ready to take on the next challenge; I'm just not ready for him to do it. I know there will be some tears shed tomorrow when we head home from Dayton and leave him behind.
So, our house is about to get a lot quieter. Most of the time you hardly know Aaron is around and Abbey doesn't make much noise unless she has friends over. In fact, the only time Aaron or Abbey ever get loud is when Judd is harrassing or teasing them. With Judd at school , the household dynamic is certainly going to change. Of course the big winner in all this is Aaron. He'll finally have the bedroom to himself, for the next year he'll have the 3rd car to himself. But I also know deep down he's going to miss his big brother; so will Abbey.
It's hard to believe how fast the past 18 years have flown by and that the day I've dreaded since November 3, 1988 is only a day away. I doubt that sentiment will change over night. But as much as I dread seeing him leave, I'm equally excited for Judd because I know he's going to have a great time and flourish in college. I know he'll make us all proud.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Abbey's first field hockey game experience...
Abbey decided to try out for field hockey this year and last week was selected to play on Mount Notre Dame's JV team. She was really excited to make the team and really has been working hard to get better. The good thing is, hardly any of the other girls on her tema have ever played before so they're going through the learning process together.
On Saturday, her team played a a couple scrimmage games. Abbey was playing defense and about 1 minute into the second game, she took a stick to the face and immediately doubled over. I really didn't see the play but knew something was wrong when a couple of her teammates motioned for the coach to come out onto the field. When they saw her, they all started to move a little quicker so I thought I should probably go down to the field to see what was arong. When I got there, she removed her hands from her face and she was drenched with blood. Her nose was bleeding and blood was pouring out all over. It wasn't till we were able to wipe some off her face that we realized the bulk of the blood was coming from a small gash on her forehead. When I first saw her I thought she may have split her lip or had some teeth knocked out so the cut was probably the best case scenario. So Abbeys first game experience lasted about a minute and wound up with a trip to the emergency toom.
She was a real trooper. She received 5 stitches and should be able to get back into action when she gets the stitches removed later this week. I hope this isn't something that happens a lot in field hockey. You don't see much blood watching volleyball games!
Hope all is well with everyone. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers following the death of Skeeter. Peace and blessings to all!
On Saturday, her team played a a couple scrimmage games. Abbey was playing defense and about 1 minute into the second game, she took a stick to the face and immediately doubled over. I really didn't see the play but knew something was wrong when a couple of her teammates motioned for the coach to come out onto the field. When they saw her, they all started to move a little quicker so I thought I should probably go down to the field to see what was arong. When I got there, she removed her hands from her face and she was drenched with blood. Her nose was bleeding and blood was pouring out all over. It wasn't till we were able to wipe some off her face that we realized the bulk of the blood was coming from a small gash on her forehead. When I first saw her I thought she may have split her lip or had some teeth knocked out so the cut was probably the best case scenario. So Abbeys first game experience lasted about a minute and wound up with a trip to the emergency toom.
She was a real trooper. She received 5 stitches and should be able to get back into action when she gets the stitches removed later this week. I hope this isn't something that happens a lot in field hockey. You don't see much blood watching volleyball games!
Hope all is well with everyone. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers following the death of Skeeter. Peace and blessings to all!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Skeeter...
On Friday, July 27; my father-in-law - Skeets Riestenberg - went out to lunch with a few of his buddies to one of their favorite lunch spots. While there, he suffered a massive stroke and later that day, with his family by his side, he passed away. As I mentioned in my previous post, my mother-in-law - Viv Riestenberg - had been in the hospital last week because she had experienced stroke-like symptoms, as well. She was released last Friday only to learn that Skeeter had been stricken by his stroke.
Skeeter was a great guy. He was a loving husband and caring father and grandfather; his family meant the world to him. He coached baseball on the west side of Cincinnati for more than 35 years and I can only imagine how many lives he positively impacted during that time.
He loved to fish but he also loved to take naps which earned him the nickname, Captain Sofa. He loved his sweets and had stashes of peanut M&M's and chocolates scattered about their condo. When I first met Skeeter he always had a cigar in his mouth but after finding a cancerous growth on his lip, he gave them up. He did continue to chew his favorite Beechnut chewing tobacco, though.
Skeeter was a pretty simple guy, actually. He grew up on the west side of town, went to Elder High School, served his country during WWII and returned to the west side to raise his family. His sons went to Elder and he was a member of the Elder Dads Club right up to the day he died. He knew what he liked to do and he did it. Skeeter didn't live his life out loud, he was perfectly content being in the background letting others have the spotlight.
I've had the honor to know Skeeter for close to 25 years and can honestly say I don't think I ever saw him mad unless you want include his continual frustrations over the Cincinnati Reds inability to play sound, fundamental baseball - now that would get him fired up! But it didn't stop his desire to watch or listen to the Reds play; if a game was being played Skeeter could be found close to a TV or radio following all the action.
Skeeter's visitation and funeral mass will take place Thursday and Friday (August 2 and 3). I'm sure the stories will be flowing; we'll cry, we'll laugh and remember a man who touched us all. Vivvy, his wife of 56 years put it best; 'He had a great life', and he did. But that won't make saying 'goodbye' any easier because he will certainly be missed. We'll miss his smile, we'll miss his laugh, we'll miss his snoring from the sofa, we'll miss his pessimism during Reds and Bengals games, we'll miss him sneaking out for a chew, we'll miss him getting several new packs of underwear for every birthday and Christmas and much, much more. The world could use more guys like Skeeter but unfortunately with his passing; there's one less - and we're going to miss him.
Skeeter was a great guy. He was a loving husband and caring father and grandfather; his family meant the world to him. He coached baseball on the west side of Cincinnati for more than 35 years and I can only imagine how many lives he positively impacted during that time.
He loved to fish but he also loved to take naps which earned him the nickname, Captain Sofa. He loved his sweets and had stashes of peanut M&M's and chocolates scattered about their condo. When I first met Skeeter he always had a cigar in his mouth but after finding a cancerous growth on his lip, he gave them up. He did continue to chew his favorite Beechnut chewing tobacco, though.
Skeeter was a pretty simple guy, actually. He grew up on the west side of town, went to Elder High School, served his country during WWII and returned to the west side to raise his family. His sons went to Elder and he was a member of the Elder Dads Club right up to the day he died. He knew what he liked to do and he did it. Skeeter didn't live his life out loud, he was perfectly content being in the background letting others have the spotlight.
I've had the honor to know Skeeter for close to 25 years and can honestly say I don't think I ever saw him mad unless you want include his continual frustrations over the Cincinnati Reds inability to play sound, fundamental baseball - now that would get him fired up! But it didn't stop his desire to watch or listen to the Reds play; if a game was being played Skeeter could be found close to a TV or radio following all the action.
Skeeter's visitation and funeral mass will take place Thursday and Friday (August 2 and 3). I'm sure the stories will be flowing; we'll cry, we'll laugh and remember a man who touched us all. Vivvy, his wife of 56 years put it best; 'He had a great life', and he did. But that won't make saying 'goodbye' any easier because he will certainly be missed. We'll miss his smile, we'll miss his laugh, we'll miss his snoring from the sofa, we'll miss his pessimism during Reds and Bengals games, we'll miss him sneaking out for a chew, we'll miss him getting several new packs of underwear for every birthday and Christmas and much, much more. The world could use more guys like Skeeter but unfortunately with his passing; there's one less - and we're going to miss him.
