Brink Thanksgiving

Diana and Ledger couldn't come along this year, so I went by myself. The food, as always, was amazing! My mom always does a great job with food- she loves baking and cooking, which is why I'm as fat as I am now... The whole family showed up, Chad and his family came down, and Jill and her family came as well. I tried to be as civil as possible, avoiding all possible references to politics or anything close. Amazingly, I left without any trouble! I also got a bunch of extra food, which was my favorite part, of course.

Goodbye, Uncle Rich

After a long battle with cancer and emphysema, my uncle Rich passed away. He was my dad's older brother. I didn't really know him very well. A good 10 years older than my dad, he joined the military and was out of the house before my dad formed much of a bond. Staying in the military and continuing to move around most of his life meant that I didn't get to know him much either. We would come back to Michigan and visit from time to time, which was always great to see him and his family, but it wasn't very regular or much of a chance to get to know him. About 8-10 years ago he and his wife Vicki finally came back to Michigan to live, so Papa had the chance to reconnect and really get to know his older brother. They got together once a week and went to the shooting range or golf course, building the relationship they never had earlier in life. It was really good to see all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and all the rest together again as we celebrated Rich's life together. He will be missed.

Tilt

Years ago, we had a really awesome birthday party for Ledger at an arcade. Since then, the arcade teamed up with a local bar and became Tilt, a bar with a pinball arcade in the back! Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, we foolishly had never been there since they opened a year or so ago.

My parents asked if we wanted to go out for dinner with them. Usually we meet up at Pizza Hut, but I asked if they would be interested in checking out Tilt. They said 'sure', so we met up with them there and had a great time! Papa told us a couple stories of how he used to love playing pinball games when he was young, so we placed our order and wandered back to check out the arcade part of the place. We checked out the different games, there was a Doctor Who pinball, a Star Trek pinball, and about 10 more! We each played a game or two, watching each other's progress and having a great time. By then our food was at the table, so we sat down and enjoyed the delicious food and chatted. 

It was really great to check out this new restaurant in town, and we were very impressed with the good food and fun games! We will definitely be going back many times!

Ave's Grad Party

My, how time flies! My youngest niece graduated from high school this year, so they had a grad party for her. Diana wasn't able to go, so Ledge and I stopped by to celebrate with her. 

It was fun to see all the uncles and aunts at the party. Some of them I hadn't seen in what feels like years! It's always a joy to see Aunt Marlene, Aunt Carol, and all the rest. Fortunately, the weather was good, last time they had one of these it was raining!

We congratulated Aves on the end of her high school trek and encouraged her as she is about to start cosmetology school in the fall.

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Brinkmas '24

For the past several years we have had Christmas with my family on Christmas day itself, but this year we bumped it up a bit and got together several days earlier. We still had all the usual fun- games, gifts, and fantastic food!

Chad and his family came down early and stayed with Mema and Papa for a week or two. The rest of us arrived late afternoon. Once everyone was there, the festivities began. We start with a little gift game for the kids. My mom always comes up with something different each year. One year it involved a ball of saran wrap and mittens, another year it was a dice game. She always finds something creative and silly! This year there were a bunch of upside-down bowls that the kids had to pick. As always, everyone had a blast with lots of laughs and lots of candy and gift cards by the end!

Now with that out of the way, we all headed downstairs, each taking a bowl or plate filled to the brim with tasty food. Everyone filled up their plates and drinks, found a seat to settle into, and chowed down and chatted. After we each got a second (or third) helping, it was time for the main event: presents! The kids are always thrilled with all the amazing prizes from ol' Mema and Papa, and we get to spoil the nieces and nephews as well.

About an hour or so later, all the boxes have been unwrapped, and all the adults are exhausted while the kids try out their newest toys. There is, of course, the required wadding up of the wrapping paper and throwing it at each other, as well as helping the youngest ones assemble their colorful loot. After another visit or two to the table full of sweets, we clean up, pack away our newest acquisitions, say our thank you's and goodbyes.

Another successful Brinkmas in the books!

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A Small Thanksgiving

With everyone having plans for the Thanksgiving holiday, we weren't able to have a big get together with my side of the family. Well, we still found an evening to spend with my parents- Thanksgiving evening, in fact! The rest of the family wasn't able to come that day and was planning to see them later in the weekend, but our plans were to head down to South Bend for the weekend, so we had to get our time in while we could. My mom, as always, made us an amazing meal and gave us all tummy aches because we ate too much. Even still, it was nice to see them, as always!

Father's Day

Back to Mom and Papa's place for a family get-together! We don't usually get together for Father's Day, but it had been a little while since we all had Sunday dinner, so Mom invited everyone over for a grill out.

It was good to see everyone and to get some good ol' fashioned summer grillin' out food! We all got to slap Papa on the back and wish him a happy day. Tim and I got a few slaps as well so we didn't feel left out or anything.

50th Anniversary

Wow, 50 years! Impressive! Mema and Papa celebrated their 50 year anniversary and had a party. Chad and his family came down, Jill and Tim and all the kids came too. We wanted to do something a little special, so after the delicious dinner, we all headed downstairs so I could show them the slideshow I had put together for them. There were some pictures of their wedding (oh the fashion!) and a bunch of us growing up as well as all three of their kids families.

It was a hit and everyone loved to relive the different memories! I left them a copy so they could watch it again whenever they wanted.

There was a lot of celebrating and reminiscing about all the good times we've had as a family. We've been really blessed to have such a strong example of a loving couple growing up- and still today!

Here's to 50 more!

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Hospital Visit

Papa's not feeling so good. The doctors found something on his lung and he had to go in for surgery. Due to his past health issues, he had to have the surgery in Ann Arbor, so that meant the extended family took a little trip. The surgery was on a Friday, so I got home from work, took a little nap, and drove down there to spend time with him. I got there late afternoon and got to spend time with Mom, Chad, Miyuki, their son, and my lovely aunt Marline! A bunch of other family members were there before he went in to surgery but had to leave before I got there.

Soon after I arrived, Papa was wheeled into his recovery room. He was pretty out of it, understandably, but he got to be surrounded by loved ones after a successful surgery. After a bit of visiting, we let him get some rest and made our way to the hotel for the night. All of us met up in Mom's room and had a nice sandwich dinner together.

In the morning we went back to the hospital and saw Papa, this time he was a little less loopy from the drugs. We had a good laugh because he didn't even remember that we saw him the day before! We spend some good time with him and found out the mass was benign- what a relief!

When it was finally time to go I had the absolute pleasure of bringing aunt Marline home! We got to spend the two hour trip together chatting and catching up. She is so wonderful- I love her so much! The trip back was filled with so much laughter, and her favorite part was when I asked her if she wanted some special sweets. She said 'of course!' so I surprised her with a little visit to Sweetwater's Donuts! We each got one to eat and she even got a dozen more to give to the rest of her family.

By the time I dropped her off, we both decided that we need to go on road trips together more often!

Brinkmas '23

Time for some family Christmas fun! This year we got together at Mema and Papa's house on Christmas Eve. Everyone was there this year- including Chad, Miyuki, and their lil baby! When we got there everyone was hanging out in the living room, ready for the good times to start. We gathered around the table for the kids to play a fun game to win a huge pile of different candy, gift cards, and other fun stuff. Soon after, filled our plates with Mema's delicious food, and headed downstairs. 

When our bellies were full, we started opening gifts. As always, Mema and Papa spoil all the kids with too many gifts! Ledger got a few really cool toys- like a Sphero ball, which he was pumped about! Diana and I were spoiled as well, which we didn't really mind that much...

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Getting New Ears

Papa's hearing has been going downhill a bit lately. When we get together he has been asking us to repeat ourselves more and more. Mom has been suggesting that he get his hearing checked out for a while now. Well, he finally relented and decided that he needs hearing aids. Well, it just so happens that I know a guy who can help... My father-in-law, Diana's stepdad, actually owns and runs a bunch of hearing aid offices! What luck! I contacted David and set up an appointment for my dad.

We went down to his closest office for a fitting. I went along with Papa; it was fun to see David and Papa at the same time! I don't think they've seen each other in 13 years or so! We went in and Papa got his hearing test and try out a pair of hearing aids. He found ones that he liked, with all the extras of course.

It was really great to see David in his element- he's so good at making people feel comfortable with the process and understand what is going on with their hearing. A consummate professional! By the time we left Papa was feeling really good about his new hearing aids, and excited to try them out- I'm sure Mom will be pleased that he can hear her again too! 

Santa Parade

Santa Clause is coming to town! Every year my lovely little town has a Christmas parade, ending with Santa! The high school band plays, and at the end Santa has a seat in the pavilion, they light the town Christmas tree, and Santa visits with each of the children. We've been going to the parade for years, but last year we decided to invite the rest of my family. We all had a great time, so we invited them again this year, and everyone quickly agreed.

When Ledger was little, he loved to go because he got to see Santa and let him know what he wanted for Christmas, but that motivation came to and end a few years ago... We've continued to go each year because it's always great to gather as a town and celebrate, and Ledger loves it because he gets to see a bunch of friends from school and hang out. The parade itself is filled with fire trucks, vehicles decorated from the different local businesses, the high school band, and more. We met up with my parents, Jill & Tim, and Noah. We watched the parade from my favorite place in town: right in front of the Regent Theater!

After waving as the parade went buy (and collecting the thrown candy, of course), we gathered in the downtown park to get a photo op with the jolly man himself!

A fun cold time was had by all!

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Labor Day Family

 Time again for a good ol' fashioned Sunday dinner at Mema and Papa's! Labor Day always signals the end of summer, and for three decades of my life, that meant the last weekend my parents were out at Sandy Pines. Since they sold their place out there, I still feel a pull to get together with the family for one last summer fling! Mema felt the same way, so she invited Tim, Jill, their kids, and the three of us over for a big summer feast.

It was really great to catch up with Jaidey; it was the first time seeing her since she went off to college for her freshman year. She shared how much fun she is having and how she is doing adjusting to college life.

Chad's Moving Day

For about two years now, we have had a basement full of my brother's stuff. A few years ago he was stationed in Missouri, but was being restationed in Washington state. Instead of bringing all his stuff with them, they asked if they could store it in our basement. Our basement is huge; tons of space. I told him 'no problem!' When it was time for the move, they drove all the way here with their trailer full to the brim with stuff that they weren't going to need for the next couple years. We packed in the extra rooms of the basement with all the stuff and shut the door and forgot about it. Seriously, with the big basement we haven't even noticed all his stuff!

Now that he's retired and found a new house, it's time to get all his stuff back and bring it into their new home! The whole family showed up to help! The boxes and everything were a lot easier to bring downstairs than it was to bring it back up! Still, we had so much help that it only took about an hour and a half to totally clear out his stuff. We did a good job using our Tetris skills to pack it all back into the big trailer- and now he's off to the Upper Peninsula to bring it into their new place. Poor guy, he's got to unload that all himself!

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Chad's Party

It's been so long since Chad was in town that it's cause for celebration! We've gotten the chance to see Chad and his family a few times now since they've returned, but the rest of the family hasn't! A few of my aunts decided that they needed to throw a whole big ol' party for him since he hasn't been around much for the last 20 years. My mom's side of the family used to get together every year for Christmas, and often times we would get together in the summer at a park as well. That side of the family has always been big- I have 16 cousins on that side! Now, with most of them married and with large families of their own, its way more people than can fit into any house. When the numbers started getting too big, and grandparents started to pass away, we stopped getting together with the whole family. With Chad in town, it just seemed like a good enough reason to gather the whole clan and catch up. It was really fun to see all my different aunts and uncles, cousins, spouses, their kids, and everyone- some of these people I hadn't seen in decades- or had never met at all! Chad, of course, hated all the attention, but the reality is that he was only the excuse for the get-together. The food was good and catching up with everyone was a delight! Ledger got to meet a whole bunch of random people that he's related to, which he rightfully thought was kinda weird...

Dinner with Chad

I had dinner with my brother. Over the years my brother and I have had a pretty up and down relationship. When I was little we shared a bedroom, we slept in bunkbeds, him on the bottom and me on top. Eventually we put our beds on opposite sides of the room. Most days he would ignore me or rib me, as an older brother does. Eventually it got so bad I moved my bed into the closet just so I could have my own 'room' (yes, this actually happened). He liked it and so did I! When my parents finished the basement, they built in another bedroom so he moved down there. I loved it because it gave me my own room for the first time! Eventually I went off to college and he stayed in the basement. We would really only see each other when I was in town. Our relationship wasn't great, but we never had any animosity towards each other, it was more like 'yup, that's my brother.' He joined the military and for the next twenty years we would see each other, at most, once a year. This worked quite well for us actually! I got married, moved jobs, had a kid. All while he was doing the military thing. Recently, he retired and moved back in temporarily with Mom and Papa while he and his family find a new place to live. With him in the area again, I figured it was time to call him up and share a meal and chat, just the two of us. I gave him a call and he was up for it! We met up at a nice restaurant in Allegan and spent a couple hours catching up, just talking through what we've each been up to for the last 20+ years. It was really strange because we are both such different people than we were the last time we lived under the same roof! We got a chance to talk about life, fatherhood, jobs, faith, and family. It was so normal and yet so absolutely strange... We are in such different places, he and I, but it was so nice to catch up with him while we are in the same place- for probably the first and last time in our lives!

Father's Day

We were invited to join the whole Brink family for a special Father's Day meal at Mema and Papa's. We got ourselves ready and headed over there, making sure we weren't a half hour late like last time! We got to celebrate Papa, Tim, and myself for Father's Day, and for the first time Chad joined our ranks!

For the first time ever we had the complete family now that Chad's son is joining us. Since I've got 11 years of experience, I made sure to impart my vast fatherhood wisdom... Actually, my advice to him was to take as many photos and videos of his son as humanly possible. I've always found that I never regret taking pictures and videos of my son, and now that he's grown up so much I wish I had taken more while he was little!

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Jaidey's Open House

They keep getting older! Our dear sweet little Jaideyn is graduating high school and had an open house to celebrate. We made our way over there on this unfortunately rainy Sunday to congratulate her. Tim and Jill had the whole place decked out, complete with a few tents in the driveway so we could stay dry. It was run to look over all the pictures they had on display- we were even in a few of them. She has big plans to go to Trinity College in Chicago next year to play soccer and begin her education in nursing. Part of the fun was seeing all the extended family members as well- Ted and Joni, Aunt Marlene, and all the rest!

Congrats, Jaidey, and good luck becoming a Troll! (that's the mascot of Trinity College)

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Baby Brink

Finally we get to meet the newest member of the family! My brother and his family made the long journey across the country from Washington state to dear ol' Michigan. He's now retired from the military and came back to live with Mom and Papa for a month or two while they look for a new home. Lucky for us, that means we get to see their little one!

We had been planning ahead for his arrival- Diana enlisted her mom to make some really cute crocheted items for him and we were finally  able to give them the amazingly made gifts!

It was really nice to see my Chad and Myuki as well as their amazingly cute little fella. Now that they are in town (for now), we will be able to visit a bunch more!
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Brian Regan Live!

Back in college, my friends and I discovered the comedian Brian Regan. His album was hilarious and we listened to it regularly! At one point I was home and going on a short road trip with my dad and convinced him to listen to it on our trip. He had the same response as I did- he was howling with laughter! Ever since then he and I have referenced those jokes and enjoyed a couple other comedy specials of his on TV.

Fast forward 20 years and Papa calls me out of the blue saying 'Brian Regan is going to be performing live, do you want to go?' Of course I do! So when the date arrived we met up and drove down to the theater in Indiana. It was pretty great to take a little road trip, just the two of us. It's been a long time since we got a chance to chat and connect. We stopped for dinner and fueled up for the evening of fun. We got to the theater a little early and found a good parking spot. We went in and grabbed some snacks and drinks before heading to our seats. The show itself was as hilarious as we had hoped! Brian Regan is so funny! His jokes are good, but its all about his delivery. That voice and facial reactions are what make him howlingly funny!

After the show was over we had a great ride back, chatting and recounting the great punchlines from the show. My favorite part of the ride back was when Papa and I took turns sharing some music favorites with each other on the truck stereo. He dropped me off and I thanked him again for such a fun and funny night together!

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