A Tribute

I know that my sisters have already written about all of this on their blogs and I have posted on Facebook, but this is mostly for my recording purposes because I want to remember and I am really behind on my blogging so I am trying to catch up now.

While James and I were in Amarillo at Matt Hill's wedding I got a call from my Dad that our Uncle Robert had passed away unexpectedly. It was a pretty tough blow because it always seemed like he was invincible.

Growing up we always lived close to my mom's cousins in Mesa. The Brinton's were always the closest. Aunt Ann and Uncle Randy and Aunt Nanette and Uncle Robert in particular (not really aunt and uncle but have never been anything but). We spent many nights sleeping over, swim parties, dinners, family home evenings (this is something that we do where we spend one night - usually Monday - a week together as a family, playing games, eating food etc. We spent many a Monday night with the entire Brinton clan), Brinton Halloween Carnivals at my great Uncle Dil's house and so many more memories from living in Mesa with them.
Then we moved to Texas when I was 9 and every summer, and most Thanksgivings we came back to Mesa to visit family and stayed with them. They even came to visit us right after we moved to Texas and stayed with us. They have 7 children, 5 of which are fairly close in age to all of my sisters and I. We would roll out blankets all over their living room floor and have a giant party. I don't think we slept much but the great part is neither did mom or Aunt Nanette or Uncle Robert or Dad. They would sit up in the other room talking just as late as us so we didn't get in trouble. :-) And then the next morning Uncle Robert would make us waffles and home squeezed orange juice. I spent one summer learing how to swing dance with Matt and his friends, and did many makeovers, barbie doll playing, boy drooling with Staci.
I also got addicted to playing Mario Kart on their super nintendo and spent many nights sitting in Robert and Nanette's backyard smelling the orange blossoms from their citrus trees and the grove over their fence.
I can't remember a trip to Mesa where they weren't involved somehow. Many times we were there and they weren't and we were told you WILL stay at our house, you WILL enjoy it, there is food there and we won't take no for an answer. I even remember spending 2 and a half weeks there after our car broke down and they just kept Kiersty and I there and never complained, or made us feel like we were putting them out. We got to go to the movies and play miniature golf and just in general have a blast. We were part of the family.
Their house was always fun, loud, and happy. Kiersty had her wedding reception there - Mom and Dad were living in Idaho and I was in Texas, but she and Seth wanted to get married in Mesa because there were a lot of memories there and family and Robert and Nanette opened their house to all of us. They booted kids out of rooms, again made us all beds throughout the house. Drove us to and from the wedding, helped decorate and adjusted everything inside when rain made the outdoor reception not feasible. This was the first time James met them and they took him right in. It was like he had always been part of the family too. They cooked all of the food along with my Aunt Belinda and Uncle Kay and Uncle Robert was right there in the middle of all of it with his apron on. I can't remember a time I didn't see him doing service for someone and he always had the biggest smile on his face. He was the first to start a joke and just have a good time. He was also quick to tell us all how special we were and how much he loved us and our visits and our time with them and how we better hurry up and come back to visit. And every time we have gone back to Mesa since then we have always been able to go visit them. We were even supposed to have a big birthday party for Andrew for his first birthday when we were all there for Christmas until we all caught the "plague" and didn't want to go get anyone else sick and missed it.

I was able to fly back to Mesa with Andrew for the funeral. (Here is Andrew at the Dallas airport on the way)
It was wonderful to see how much of an impact Uncle Robert made on his whole community and the people around him. The amount of tributes that came out about things that he had done and the amount of people who came to show their respect for this man should amaze me, but it doesn't because I knew what a great man he was. It was awesome to hear and see the tributes though. He has a great legacy and has left behind an awesome family to carry it on for him. And it was wonderful to see so much of my family. I hate that it seems like these are the only times we get together anymore but I loved to be able to spend time with those of us that made it. My cousin Jen was kind enough to open her home for all of us to get together in that night after the funeral.




Andrew slept through this whole fun get together. The 2 hour time difference was rough on the little man as you can see by this pic.

It was so fun to be able to meet all of my cousins children and introduce Andrew to all of them and my aunts and uncles that haven't met him yet. I'm really grateful we got to go.

Uncle Robert will be sorely missed in our family because he has had such a great impact on our lives. I am so grateful to have known him and to call him Uncle.