One of my favorite and happiest times is when Dad became a grandpa. What a special memory. I remember calling to tell Dad I was going in to have charlie. He was excited and showed up at midnight to give me a hug. He went home and by 4am little charlie was born.  He was so excited when he made it back in that morning.So much love. He was a grandpa. A hero. 

Mike really wasn't a huge fan of the Yankees but he was a huge fan of anything the kids gave him.  Sonia gave him this Yankee hat for Christmas so it soon became a favorite.

What a wonderful day it was.  Mike was so happy and proud of his daughter.  He only shed a "few" tears.  This was the Father/Daughter dance...their song was "I Loved Her First."  What a precious memory.

Mike loved going back to his class reunions.  He enjoyed seeing his classmates and old buddies and talking about the good old days.  He got a little lit up this year and kept bragging about his "young"wife (kind of embarrassing for the wife) but everyone took it in stride.  We finally convinced him to leave by telling him the bar ran out of beer.  He went along with it but just kept asking me in the car... "How could a bar run out of beer?"  "This is O'Neill, Nebraska...Irish capital of the world for crying out loud.  That's just crazy, honey!"

The older Mike got the more he enjoyed his Birthdays. I think because it meant he was that much closer to retirement.  He was looking forward to retire so he could relax and enjoy life.

Mike was always ready to hit the roller coasters.  He just loved the rush and loved getting his girls to join him.  I remember him coaxing Carly to try her first rolllercoaster when she was about 8 or 9 at Adventureland....she was so freaked out but eventually caught the bug and grew to love the wild rides too. I just love that he is waving at me in this picture. This was a fun family vacation with good memories.