Rhonda turns 58 on July 28th!!!!  Today is Rhonda Eve.

The latest news: Rhonda has her first grandson.  Jack and Shannon brought Brodie into this world on June 19th.

This is a picture of Rhonda being held by her mother (Beryl), and her brother (Artie) stands beside.  My guess is that Rhonda is 4 years old!!!  Do you remember the days of black and white pictures???

Two years have passed since father went to heaven, but not an hour has passed that father has not been on my mind.  I finally unpacked all of my pandas and it was awesome to think of the story behind each and every panda–yes, all 400 of them!  As you see in the picture below, most pandas have a home in the crib in my “panda room.”  Father could never pass up a panda, he felt his little girl needed every panda!  My nickname on the ski hill is “Panda” and I wish that father could have seen me on the hill. He knew I bought the helmet cover, but never saw it in person (see below for my ski outfit)!

Today is Dad’s Birthday. I wanted to post a picture from February 2006. This picture was taken for an article at M. D. Anderson and it shows the passion that Dad had for his motorcycle. I am sure today Dad would have traveled hundreds of miles on his bike, as today it was sunny and in the 60’s. Life continues to throw family challenges, but it helps to keep the days going.

~Jason

Just last week Mom came to Massachusetts to visit.  We had a good time shoveling snow, shopping, watching movies, hanging out, spending time in my classroom with 6th graders, and cleaning the house after all of the construction.  Mom is back home in warm Arizona!  Jason is busying in Texas working on his doctorate degree.  Jack and Shannon are preparing for the arrival of their third child in July.  This past week Mom was putting up an Asia bulletin board in my classroom and it was neat to read postcards Mom and Dad sent when they were traveling to various places in the world.  I think of Dad every time I shovel snow, because I wear one of Dad’s favorite casual jackets–Mom is wearing it in the picture here.  I know Dad is watching over all of us.

Jason is here in Massachusetts staying with Brendan and I.  We have come to find out that no bars are open on Christmas Eve!!  We have had a blast playing darts (avoiding the pandas as targets, since the dart board is hanging in the panda room) and playing dominoes.  Rhonda is enjoying her warm weather in AZ.  Jack is busy with his family in Colorado, and yes next Christmas they will have three children to celebrate with.  Grandpa has snowed in at home in St. Joseph, MO.  I have my two inflatable snowmen in the yard in Dad’s memory.   We all miss Dad greatly and wish he was here to celebrate the season with us.  Happy New Year, Amanda

This marks the start of another holiday season without dad. This year everyone in staying at their respective homes. Jack is in Colorado, Amanda is in New England, I am in Texas, and Mom is in Arizona. The holidays are a time for remembrance and also a time to be thankful for all the inspiration that Dad has brought to us.

“We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears.  We must not demean life by standing in awe of death”  ~David Sarnoff

It was two years ago this week that Dad walked me down the isle, danced with me, and gave a speech welcoming Brendan to the family. It was also this week two years ago that I last played miniature golf with Dad. He is always in my thoughts. I miss being called Mandy! But I just wish I could sit down with him and have an intellectual conversation— I do miss those. At least the genes were passed on to his children, so we can still have those types of conversations. I thank God everyday for the amazing family that I have/had.

I just arrived back from the Society for NeuroOncology in New Orleans. Yesterday they had the first speaker of the Hassenbusch Lecture. As a memorial to Dr. Hassenbusch, the society created a lectureship that will be an annual event. This year the lecture was on healthcare reform given by Katie Orrico, JD. It is always touching to have a tribute to Dad and to see how many lives he impacted. I was also fortunate to speak on the Quality of Life panel and help give some insight from a family perspective on terminal diseases.

Last week I received the paperback version of Dad’s book. If anyone would like a copy, please email me.

Happy Halloween!

~Jason

The sun rises on the damp streets of Houston this morning, marking today as yet another month passing without Dad. This week has been a whirlwind that started with the passing of a great family friend last Friday. Alfred Bishop was a man that can not be described in a few short words. He was a great man who everyone loved and cherished.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=133131085

Thursdays will never be the same and I will miss the company on motorcycle rides. This leaves me alone on the motorcycle as Dad and Alfred will no longer accompany.

This week also marks the transition of Mom to Arizona. As of yesterday, she has left Houston with both Peanut and Stetson. Her house was sold on Wednesday and the Movers should be arriving in Arizona on Saturday. It is official, I am on my own in Houston.

God Speed Alfred, you were a father figure when needed the most.

~Jason

I say this every time, but as I reflect each month it is amazing to me how things change. I am here working on a large mailout and I think some aspects of dad have rubbed off on me, hopefully in a good way. I have been timing how long it takes to print each envelope and thus determining how long the project will take. I remember almost every time I stood in line with dad, he would time how long it takes each person and thus gain a estimated wait time. In many ways this is a bit of the family OCD that tends to come out, although I think it good in some ways.

Amanda and I visited our Grandpa over the weekend in Missouri. He is doing very well and in great health. Mom’s house is officially off the market as all of the inspections went well.

I know this is a bit early, but on October 10th 2009 will be Sam Jam II which is the annual motorcycle ride by the M. D. Anderson employee motorcycle group. You can visit the website at www.ridersforthecure.org for more information!

~Jason