One of the best memories I have with Dad is when he came to CHF (the barn) with me. He had seen me ride before but had never actually seen what happened 'behind the scenes'. It was a hot summer day, and after an unexcepted rain storm, the short barn lesson turned into a long affair. We stayed in the barn, spending time with the horses, me showing him how to do certain things. I had been interested in photography and I wanted photos of me riding. He had brought the camera and by the time we got home, he had taken over 400 photos in the hours we had been at the barn. Some of the photos were taken so closely together time wise that if you clicked through fast enough it was almost a video. After that barn trip, the camera came every time. He helped instill the fact that photos don't cost anything and you are preserving memories. 

Rob, Heidi and I went to Virgina to visit my sister Karen. While there we went to the beach.  This one particular day at the beach was very windy and the water was pretty rough.  We had a great time and a few wipeouts with all the waves.  After a few hours we headed back to my sister's house to change out of our bathing suits.  To this day I still remember and laugh out loud (even while writing this story) how Rob came out of the bathroom to show Heidi and I how much sand he had in his swim trunks from the rough beach day.  It must have been a cup or two.  I can't imagine him riding home with that much sand in his pants but he did and never said anything until he could show us what it looked like.     

Robert loved music and also liked to make his own mixes on occassion being the funny guy that he was.  One song in particular that he liked to change around was "We are Family" by Sister Sledge.  He loved to change "We are Family.....I got all my sisters and me" to "We are Family.....all my sisters do it for free".  He would laugh hysterically after.  Crystal and I of course laughed also--luckily we could handle his jokes.

Robert and Heidi decided to join us in Aruba in March of 1996.  Dean and I shared a 2 bedroom one bath unit with them.  Neither of us were married yet.  The trip started off slightly rocky for Rob and Heidi.  Heidi passed out in line at Dunkin Donuts from the heat fairly early into the vacation.  Then Robert looked like a raccoon because he was burnt under his eyes and nose. He would wipe the water away along with the sunscreen each time he swam.  Heidi literally had racing strips down the back of each leg (another burn) from snorkeling.  The kicker and something we still laugh about is when Robert got up in the middle of the night and grabbed the glass of water by the bathroom sink.  As he got to the end of the glass, my retainer which had been soaking in the mixture landed right on his lips! Yep he drank the cleaner solution for my retainer after it was soaking overnight!  

Rob was not a morning person, so he struggled to get up and showered in time to get Abby to school for 8am.  Yet, each morning when she asked him if he was finally ready to go, he would say, "I was born ready."

This is my favorite family story.  We were vacationing in Arizona in the summer of 2010 and had flown into Phoenix, and then drove our rented maroon Ford Explorer from Phoenix to Flagstaff and then to Grand Canyon National Park.  As we were driving through the park for the first time we noticed a few cars stopped by the side of the road and slowed down to see what was happening.  People were stopping to see a couple of mule deer.  So, we stopped too and the kids and I got out to take a look and a few pictures.  We talked to another family stopped and after a few minutes Rob came over to join us.  As we turned to head back to the car, we saw a car go by, and time seemed to slow down.  First I noticed that it looked just like our rental car.  Then I realized it was our rental car.  So, I wondered who was driving our rental car, but then realized that no one was.  We all started to run for the car - boys on the driver's side and girls on the passenger's side.  Unfortunately it was made more difficult by the fact that the car doors automatically locked once driving.  So, Rob had to reach in through the window (thank goodness that was open), unlock the door, hop in and then stop and let the rest of us in.  After we all got in, I looked at him and he looked back at me and said "that could have been very bad." 

Rob was an amazing father and husband.  Despite his intense schedule as  the Partner at the Firm and working some nights till the early morning, he always put Heidi and the kids first.  A few years back he adamant about getting Abby a kitten because he had promised her one.  He called me for several days persistently trying to find the kitten and had me scouting out every shelter in the whole state.  He was diligent, even traveled himself to several shelters in between audits, on his lunch break and on his way home to find the exact fit. We had the request of the certain age & color to contend with as well. I remember him saying that he wasn't going to give up and wouldn't  "feel right" till he got Abby what he had promised.  He eventually found not one, but two kittens a few weeks later and told me that he was more stressed about finding the kitten than he was about all of his other responsiblities and found relief when he met his promise.   I knew it was because he couldn't and wouldn't let his family down ever.  That is who Robert was, he would stop everything to make sure Heidi and the kids needs and wants were met, even if it was stopping his hectic life to find a "gray kitten". 

Robert loved music.  As a child he was obsessed with Abba and would blast it througout the house belting out the lyrics.  His IPODS were filled to the hilt with hundreds of songs from top 40's to back in the day heavy metal.  He was also famous for "making up" his own lyrics to be funny.  One of his favorites that he belted out frequently to my sister and I and all of his friends was "we are family, all my sisters do it for free".  He was also famous for repeating a song several thousand times if he liked it!  To the point where everyone would go crazy if they too had to be subjected to hearing it AGAIN!