Coming up with a tribute to someone who means a lot to you, how might one do that? I guess it depends on your talents. If you’re musical, like Jon, perhaps you could write a song or perform a cover of a song that is meaningful to that relationship. If you have adorable children, like Clifton, perhaps you could get away with having them do something cute. If you’re me, you could either do 70 pullups for each year this special person has graced the planet, or you could stay inside and write down some of your favorite memories. I think I’ll share some memories.

There are many places to start, but I think I’ll start with what is more of a confession than a story. I can’t remember exactly how old I was, probably around 6 or 7, when a package showed up out of the blue with Jon and my names on it. The return address was Uncle Roger. Inside were two brand new Swiss Army knives. After the initial safety brief by my dad, I remember wandering around outside carving sticks, throwing it at trees to see if I could get it to stick into them. I also remember having it open in the living room doing who knows what with it when I tragically cut my finger. I remember using the underside of the couch cushions to stop the blood. Pretty much the biggest rule my dad emphasized about this knife was not cutting myself. However, this was still the same day the package arrived. Jon was probably at a more suitable age for owning a knife, but none-the-less I will always remember that Swiss Army knife as my first knife thanks to Uncle Roger. The Swiss Army knife that I carry today still reminds me of Uncle Roger and that first knife.

Another early memory was one of my winter stays with Aunt Chris and Uncle Roger. I’m not sure if it was an unusually large snowfall or that’s just how it seemed to a young kid, but it was the ideal snow for some sledding. Lucky for me Uncle Roger took me to the stairs, all 100 or so, that lead down to the river. I remember flying down the stairs over and over each time compacting the snow more to make the ride a little faster than the one before. It was on one of those fast rides that I came barreling at Uncle Roger a little faster than he expected. He did a quick jumping jack and with his legs still, apart he reached in between his legs just in time to reach the last bit of fabric on my puffy winter coat before I took a joy ride down the remaining stairs and likely into the tree at the bottom of the hill.

When I was a little older Aunt Chris and Uncle Roger took Jon and me on a trip to Chicago. I can’t remember exactly what year it was but I think it was 2005 or 2006. In any case, the iPhone had not yet been released. Uncle Roger was rocking, the now vintage, Palm Pilot Treo. Not sure why he would let a 10-year-old play with it as much as he did, but he did. He let me try all sorts of modifications and new applications (the days before they were simply known as apps). By the end of the trip, his phone could play YouTube before YouTube had even developed and app and it could also stream live TV. The only problem was the calendar and phone no longer worked…

My last memory is of Clifton, Jon, Uncle Roger, and me playing golf in Caseville. I can’t remember my age, but I wasn’t interested enough to do anything other than putt when we were on the green. So, there I was sitting in the cart watching while Uncle Roger patiently gave some sage wisdom to Clifton about teeing off. Jon, the golf prodigy that he was, had already driven the ball down the fairway. I was half paying attention until I heard them yell “FORE!” and at that moment a ball Clifton had somehow hit backward went whizzing past the cart I was sitting in.

I could have done 70 pullups and called it good, but I don’t think that really would have told the full story of my appreciation and love for Uncle Roger. Honestly, there are probably 70 more stories that might get me closer. Reminiscing on those stories and thinking over the 23 years I have known Uncle Roger during his 70-year life so far has filled me with nothing but happy memories. I can confidently say I wouldn’t be quite the adventurous, independent, and happy positive man that I am today if it wasn’t for my Uncle Roger’s encouragement and time spent with me. We’ve had so many good memories together and I look forward too many more. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, it looks like this birthday won’t be spent with the whole family, but my hope is that it is still a memorable one. Love you Uncle Roger and happy birthday!

The start to my summer and the start to my life back in the states has been busier than expected. That’s why it’s taken me a month since my last post to update the blog!

The past 4 weekends have been weddings; 2 in Wisconsin, 1 in Minnesota, and thankfully one half an hour away in Frankenmuth. Needless to say, since I’ve come home from my trip on the road I’ve been on the road a lot! Road trips with friends are always better than road trips alone! All the weddings have also given me a perfect opportunity to see friends I haven;’t seen in a while and to catch up on everything in their lives I missed out on while I was gone.

The first wedding gave us an opportunity to scout out some cool sights. Did a quick little stop at the Mississippi River and later we got to lookout over the top of a bluff in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The wedding was a huge group of high school friends and it felt almost like a mini reunion, especially with those I hadn’t seen since high school.

The next weekend was another wedding in Wisconsin. Good beer at some Wisconsin breweries the night before. The actual wedding was awesome. The groom was so emotional as the bride walked down the isle. It was beautiful! The reception was a blast too! At the reception I took a picture with all those girls in the picture above, weird to think that everyone of them is married as of me writing this now…

I some how don’t have any pictures of the third wedding, but here are some from the fourth. This wedding was out in Minnesota so to break up the road trip my friend Wyatt and I stayed with our friend Ashley in Madison, WI. We hung out in the morning and got to see the University of Wisconsin campus. It was actual really awesome! The student union was right on the lake and they sold beer and pitchers right in the union. If they did that at CMU, where I graduated, that might have been trouble.

The wedding was another fun one! Got to see a different group of friends from the high school class above. It is always really cool to see how much people’s lives have changed yet we still all seem the same. I’m excited to see how all my teacher friends end up in their new homes and careers wherever God has called them to.

That has been my past month! Lots of fun times and lots of catching up. It was much needed especially after being gone from things for so long. Above all, all the weddings made me realize how blessed I am to have such a large group of awesome, amazing friends!

Finished up visiting friends and family so now I’m chilling in Saginaw. I spent a week without working, which was kind of nice because I was able to do a lot of house hunting. I was even more motivated because I’m staying with some high school friends and I’m sleeping in a spare bed in one of their rooms. They have no stove and no washer and dryer. It will be nice to finally get my own place, but for now I can adapt and I appreciate their hospitality.

This past week I started working at Mule Resophonic Guiatars (http://muleresophonic.com/). I started by going through some power tool crash courses so I don’t chop my hand off on several of the dangerous machines there. Then I started working on making some of the basic parts of the guitars. I’m flanging steel frames and cutting up wood guitar necks. I’m doing the early stages of the process before it gets overly complicated, but eventually I’ll get more involved in aspects of the whole process.

Overall, it’s been an awesome place to work. I had a really good relationship with the owner in high school, and he has really grown his craft and following since then. So It’s pretty cool and I feel honored to be asked to be a part of it. He runs the shop in a fun way where it could be really stressful with the wrong leadership. He is a good teacher which is huge for my lack of experience in making guitars. The work itself is immensely satisfying as well. It’s cool to be involved in the entire process and seeing the craftsmanship that goes into a single guitar is awesome. There is a very human element in the work as well. The connection from the maker to the buyer is huge. In our case they have been on the waiting list to get one of these guitars for maybe more than a year. So talking to them and keeping them in the process and letting them know we are making a specifically guitar for them and them only is huge.

Overall, I am incredibly blessed to fall into an awesome job like this. I’m excited to continue working and learning as much as I can! We’ll see what other adventures pop into my life as I settle into living in Saginaw!