Update to May 31, 2008 Post

Go back to May 31, 2008. You will learn who provided most of the food for Amy Marie's first birthday party. This is courtesy of Laura.

Birthdays and a Sad Anniversary

On June 2nd, the second anniversary of my brother Dan's death occurred. Yesterday, I honored him with a brief pilgrimage to the bridge over Chippewa Creek near where most of his ashes were scattered. (It is near the intersection of OH 21 and OH 82 in Brecksville, OH, which is between Cleveland and Akron. It is about a 15-20 minute drive from my house. For those people outside my family, I do not drive. However, it is approximately half an hour away via bus from my house in Cleveland.) In the moments that I was there, I discovered a young man swimming in the creek below. I don't blame him since the temperature reached the 90s. At least, I didn't encounter a barrage of rain like what occurred last year. (Last year, I did the pilgrimage on the actual anniversary of the scattering, which was June 8, 2006. I would have had to go downtown, which is out of my way for this trip because the bus doesn't do the run up Snow-Rockside on weekends.) (Go to http://www.riderta.com and investigate the schedules of routes #35 and #77F for more details on my route.) What I just said is moot because I came from downtown, but I was doing some light reading at Cleveland State University's library, so it wasn't a major inconvenience. Besides, my brother was not one who wanted people to be inconvenienced, but he appreciated our presence. I'm sure he appreciated my presence yesterday.

On a more pleasant note, Kathleen had a birthday on June 3rd. Kendal celebrated a birthday on the next day. Both birthdays were celebrated at an earlier time and were featured in previous entries on this blog. (By the way, I changed some entries on my report of Amy Marie's birthday dealing with the presence of Dan Sr.'s family at the party.) Tomorrow, Marnie celebrates her birthday. Maybe, it will be reported on the Hayden-Kendal blog which is linked on this blog.

My next report will be another adjustment to the Amy Marie party report. It will reveal the source of the food served at the party. Beyond that, don't expect any postings for awhile.

What a Difference a Day Makes

We celebrated Kathleen's birthday tonight by having dinner at Regina High School's convent in South Euclid, OH (A suburb of Cleveland). (For reference purposes, Regina is an all girl Catholic high school with a powerhouse basketball program operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame.) We had roast beef (?), redskin potatoes, green beans, and salad. It was very appetizing. We then had cake and ice cream (What a revolutionary idea!). Cards and presents were opened during the festivities. It was a joyous occasion with Maggie, Mike, Patty, Dan Sr., Bob, Joe, and many of Kathleen's roommates in attendance. (She is a Sister of Notre Dame.)

The title of this posting means two things. This party was quieter than the last two that I attended. I was also the youngest attendee. (I'm 37.)

Despite two upcoming birthdays in my immediate family, I am done celebrating for awhile. Kendal's birthday was celebrated last week, and her mother, Marnie, lives in Michigan. However, there will be brief reports on each of the next three days with two of them birthday-related. I hope that you receive some insight from these posts.