happy birthday pat

Another birthday for Pat, and he isn't here to celebrate with us. I like to believe that he is in a happier place now, and that he really is watching over us in all that we do. It's strange, when someone is gone, what will remind you of them. I thought I would share a few of those things with you:



:: Pat was a big guy...and one of his favorite things to wear were t-shirts from the Big Dog line, with catchy little sayings like "You can't hang with the Big Dogs"...his size was part of who he was. Now, when I see someone wearing these shirts, I always smile. You don't see them very often, so when they do pop up, it's like Pat has reached down to grace my day...



:: Throughout the time that I knew Pat, he had many different vehicles. A Jimmy, a mini-van, a camaro, and others. The one that fit him the best was his white Chevy Avalanche...it was big and just a little bit different. I remember giving him the hardest time when he bought his, because I thought they were so silly looking. :) Not that it stopped him! I see one on the road every now and then, and they always make me think of him...



:: Probably the thing that makes me think of Pat more than anything else...Paul Sr. from the tv show American Chopper...if any of you knew Pat, and have seen this show, then I'm sure you have thought the same thing. Paul Sr. is Pat in so many ways! They look very similar in their body structure, their faces, the mustache. But even more, their personalities are the same...gruff exteriors, loud and opinionated, but really kind-hearted and giving underneath. When I watched this for the first time with Chris, I could not get over how it felt like I was just watching Pat. Very bizarre. And when the episode came on where this gruff guy gave his teenage assistant Cody the bike Cody had helped to build, well that is something that Pat totally would do. He loved giving, he loved helping people, he loved that reaction he got when he did something good for someone. So, though I wouldn't normally watch a show like this, whenever it is on I like to get a little dose of Paul Sr...

Life is different without Pat...I'm not ready to be living my life without him...I really wish that Chris and Aspen could have met him, my stories of him would make so much more sense then! Pat was definitely a presense that can't be explained, one that has to experienced.

Happy Birthday, big guy...know that you are always missed...