From Heath

Everytime he hears this song, he thinks of Unk.

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“Sorry you missed me
I’ll get back with you as soon as I can
Thank you and god bless”

Got the news on Friday mornin’
But a tear I couldn’t find
You showed me how I’m supposed to live
And now you showed me how to die
I was lost till Sunday mornin’
I woke up to face my fear
While I’m writing you this goodbye song
I found a tear

I’m gonna miss that smile
I’m gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
I’d do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
‘Cause that’s right where you wanna be
I’m not crying 'cause I feel so sorry for you
I’m crying for me

I got up and dialed your number
And your voice came on the line
That old familiar message
I heard a thousand times it just said
Sorry that I missed you
Leave a message and god bless
I know you think I’m crazy
But I had to hear your voice I guess

I’m gonna miss that smile
I’m gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
I’d do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
‘Cause that’s right where you wanna be
I’m not crying 'cause I feel so sorry for you
I’m crying for me

So play your upside-down, left handed
Backwards bass guitar
And I’ll see you on the other side
Superstar

I’m gonna miss that smile
I’m gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
I’d do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
‘Cause that’s right where you wanna be
I’m not crying 'cause I feel so sorry for you
I’m crying for me

I’m still crying
I’m crying for me
I’m still crying

Christmas Vacation

Each year, we always watched Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday season. Here are a few of the myriad of quotes from the movie that we say the whole year through.

We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f@#king Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah.

The most enduring traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin. Thith tree is a thymbol of the the thspirit of the Griswold family Chrithmath.

"Can't see the line, can you Russ?"

Merry Christmas! Shitter's full!

He's cute ain't he? Only problem is, he's got a little bit a Mississippi leg hound in 'im. If the mood catches him right, he'll grab your leg and just go to town.

"Eat my road grit liver lips! Burn some dust here. Eat my Rubber!"

Art - "The little lights aren't twinkling."
Clark - "I know Art, and thanks for noticing."

Todd: Hey Griswold. Where do you think you're gonna put a tree that big?
Clark: Bend over and I'll show you.
Todd: You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that Griswold.
Clark: I wasn't talking to you

Don't throw me down, Clark.

I like riding in cars.

Ruby Sue: Rocky bit my thumb. Him's nervous.
Clark: Nervous or excited?
Ruby Sue: Shittin' bricks.
Clark: You shouldn't use that word.
Ruby Sue: Sorry. Shittin' rocks

Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?
Clark: Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.

I don't know, Margo!

Hey Gris, if you're not doing anything constructive, run into the living room and get my stogie.

You serious, Clark?

SQUIRREL!

Don't you go falling in love with it now, because, we're taking it with us when we leave here next month.

Not in the sense you thought I said I meant.

Little full, Lotta sap!!

Dad, you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.

Over here? Well this is nothin'. But here, well if you dent this, my hair just isn't gonna look right.

Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song

Saturday Night Live - Update: Sandler Thanksgiving Song - Video - http://www.nbc.com

I still can't believe I'm not going to hear Dad singing this song at Thanksgiving. We all used to sing this song and laugh so hard every time. I can still here him singing, "Turkey for me and turkey for you, let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe. Turkey to eat, so good." ♪♫ while snapping his fingers and shuffling his feet from side to side.

IQ Test

Whenever someone would say something less than brilliant or just when he wanted to be funny, Dad would hold his hands up like this and ask... "Quick, which hand's the marble in?"

Huh?

To the average passerby, the three pictures would be seemingly random. Gumbo. Boomer. Gator. But to us they are very closely related. They were the nicknames Dad gave to us and called us all of our lives. I was Gumbo, Dana was Boomer and Dan was Gator. How he came up with them, I really have no idea, but I'm pretty sure he chose them before we were even born. Whether we liked them or not, we were stuck with them. Mom would often refer to Dan as Bumblelion, but Dad said he was too tough to be called Bumblelion. He was a boy - a Gator. I remember one time there was an article in the Sun News about the possible environmental effects of the clay on the beaches. The headline read Gumbo on Beaches May Pollute Ocean. The whole family thought it was a filppin' riot....except me! That headline hung on the dry erase board in Dad's office for years until it was crumpled and faded and barely hanging on. Looking back, these nicknames mean so much more than Pumpkin, Princess or Sport ever could have. We will all treasure our nicknames forever. I'll never hear the word gumbo - whether in reference to soup or clay - that I don't immediately think of Dad.

Birthdays With Dad

How weird to not hear Dad call me and sing, "Happy Birthday Dear Gumbo..." or the all important second verse, "May you live a hundred years, may you drink a million beers, get plastered you baaaaaaad (holding the aaa extra long to make you wonder if he was going to say bastard or not) girl, happy birthday to you". For 34 years I have either been with Dad or talked to Dad on my birthday. I still cannot believe I will never hear his voice again. He and Mom always made birthdays special. My birthday is on Veterans Day and Dad used to take me to the parade in downtown Pittsburgh. Of course he didn't call it a Veteran's Day parade. It was my birthday parade!! Somewhwre along the way, I realized that the parade wasn't actually for me. For birthdays, we always have big family get togethers - the more the merrier. Mom always cooks a big meal and a cake and we all joke around and have a good time. Dad loved to hear the funny cards and always encouraged the guest of honor to read their cards aloud. Dana used to go to stores and read cards, find her favorite, commit it to memory and then run home to recreate it with construction paper, Crayola markers and glitter glue. Dad got such a huge kick out of it and has always reminded her and anyone else who would listen about it. Ever since we were kids, birthdays were a big deal in our home. We always had fun parties and got special gifts. I recently saw a picture of Dad at my 3rd grade slumber party surrounded by about eight girls. He was holding something small in his hands and everyone looked like they were dying to see what it was. I barely remember the party but I imagine he had them all convinced that it was a magical rock or something. He always was the life of the party - whether the guests were eight or 88. I'm pretty sure he threw one heck of a party up in Heaven tonight.

Ale House Remembers

Last night, Linda invited us all up to the Ale House for a memorial for Dad. Many people dressed in black & gold and lots of different Pittsburgh food was served. They had a "Burseman" Steelers jersery made up. It's framed on the wall and will always hang there in his honor. As sad as we are to think about how much we all miss him, we are so glad that he touched so many lives.

Election Day

For the past couple of years Dad volunteered to be the campaign manager for a friend of his that was running for town council. Election Day is tomorrow and it feels weird not hearing Dad talk about it. He would be telling me about all the money he was able to raise and all the people he sold on voting for his friend. He explained to me that it was just another form of salesmanship. (Anyone who knew Dad, also knew that he could sell ice to an Eskimo). He would recruit and organize people to work the polls to give that last minute boost. He really enjoyed it even though it was a lot of walking. He was successful at this as well. Two terms is all his friend wanted and two term is what Dad gave him.
Election Day also reminds me that I don't have him around to ask what this candidate stands for and what do you think about this guy. Dad was a Republican but he always said vote for the person, not the party. Never vote strait ticket.
I always thought that Dad should have ran for office...Lord knows he would have done a better job than anyone else (Republican or Democrat).I guess he was too honest. There was a function in South Carolina that Mom and Dad attended. Dad was mingling with the crowd and Mom just let him work his magic. He was talking to gentleman and Mom heard someone say " Who's that guy talking to Bruce Hannon ?" Mom looked back and told them "That's the Governor of South Carolina".
Tomorrow morning I will go to the polls. I will listen to the campaign volunteers push their candidates. I will not vote straight ticket. I will fill out my ballot with the person best suited for the job. I will put on my "I Voted" sticker. I will do all this and Dad will be there with me in heart and memory.