Moderator: SMLCHNG
(((((((((((((((((((((DAN)))))))))))))))))))) thanksagain so much!!!!Tequila Revenge wrote:Just noticed this thead has had 39,000 plus views.Thought I'd give it a bump for those who may not have seen it yet. There's some really good stuff in here.
TR
"While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats." Mark TwainMr Play wrote:Present Location:
Dunwoody CIP
SOASOAPT made it to 26 Buffett performances in 2005.
He is being placed on permanent display at the Dunwoody CIP in Atlanta, GA.
1/1/2005 - Atlanta, GA (NYE in the ATL) - Aquaholic and Firstmate
1/11/2005 - Asheville, NC (CIP Opening) - BeachBum_29 - JB signature; TV Appearance with sidew13
1/22/2005 - Alonquin, IL (CIP Phlocking) - BeachBum_29
2/11 - 2/14/2005 - Band Rehearsals - Amy Lee - Band signatures
2/17/2005 - Columbia, SC - Marnin Grita Guy (late arrival)
2/19/2005 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - N/A
2/21/2005 - Jacksonville, FL - ladyparrothead - TV Appearance
2/23/2005 - Charlotte, NC - land_shark3
2/25/2005 - Plant City, FL (les and mid party) - lesphoto and mermaidindisguise
2/26/2005 - Tampa, FL - lesphoto and mermaidindisguise
3/24/2005 - Columbus, OH (Peter Mayer show brought to you by PHat Matt)
4/5/2005 - Santa Barbara, CA - dean_siu
4/7/2005 - Anaheim, CA - ladyparrothead
4/8/2005 - Las Vegas, NV (Last Man Standing) - dean_siu
4/9/2005 - Las Vegas, NV - dean_siu - Webcam appearance and Parrotvision (twice)
4/12/2005 - Phoenix, AZ - ladyparrothead - Parrotvision
4/16/2005 - San Jose, CA - island_hopper (arriving w/ladyparrothead)
4/19/2005 - Honolulu, HI - nycparrothead - Got inside the concert
5/6/2005 - Key West, FL - DonnaKayDunbar (wedding guest)
5/21/2005 - Atlanta, GA - Four Play (Lake Lanier Jet Ski Ride)
6/2/2005 - Fayetteville, AR (Walmart Party) - ualifegurad20
6/13/2005 - Toronto, Canada (Molson Amphitheater) - phansheridan
6/15/2005 - Bristow, VA (Nissan) - 1more and tallship38
6/17/2005 - Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun) - Balcony Girls (handoff to Zuke)
6/20/2005 - Mansfield, MA (Great Woods) - MacPhin (arriving with Zuke)
6/22/2005 - Mansfield, MA (Great Woods) - MacPhin
6/26/2005 - Pittsburgh, PA - Four Play Sat / Fanvan Sun - 4th row inside concert; Parrotvision
7/3/2005 - Gurnee, IL - Tiki Bar (Birthday Party)
7/22/2005 - Dallas, TX - Four Play (Repairs)
8/20/2005 - Cincinnati, OH (BEGANniversary Party) - Big Phan - On Stage with Beach Bum Band
8/21/2005 - Cincinnati, OH (Riverbend) - Big Phan
8/25/2005 - Philadelphia, PA - rednekkPH (handoff to zanth)
8/27/2005 - Philadelphia, PA - zanth
8/31/2005 - Indianapolis, IN (Verizon Music Center) - Quiet and Shy
9/4/2005 - Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field) - opharbour
9/5/2005 - Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field) - opharbour
9/17/2005 - Plant City, FL (Topless Phlocking) - ToplessRideFL
9/26/2005 - Dallas, TX - Four Play (Repairs)
10/21/2005 - Las Vegas, NV (Mac Show) - dean_siu
10/22/2005 - Las Vegas, NV - dean_siu / harbourgirl
10/27/2005 - Portland, OR (Rosegarden) - island_hopper - TV Appearance
10/28/2004 - Las Vegas, NV (Last Man Standing) - Dutch Harbor PH
10/29/2005 - Las Vegas, NV - Dutch Harbor PH / Captain Morgan
11/3/2005 - Key West, FL (MOTM) - balcony girls
11/26/2005 - Atlanta, GA (Dunwoody CIP) - HockeyParrotHead
4/28/2006 - Dallas, TX (Hoot Island) - Four Play
Atlanta, GA (Dunwoody CIP) - HockeyParrotHead
October 2004 - San Diego, CA - SOASOAPT is born
January 2005 - Asheville, NC - Television interview with sidew13
February 2005 - Columbia, SC - Marnin Grita Guy's Inner Sanctum
February 2005 - Jacksonville, FL - Desdamona
February 2005 - Charlotte, NC - Passed out on Bundy Rum (Land_shark3)
April 2005 - Las Vegas, NV - Webcam appearance with dean_siu
April 2005 - Las Vegas, NV - Mac Signing
April 2005 - San Jose, CA - ladyparrothead and crew
May 2005 - Honolulu, HI - Inside Waikiki Shell with nycparrothead
May 2005 - Gulfport, FL - Quint
May 2005 - Cumming, GA - firstmate
June 2005 - Toronto, Canada - Piratical
June 2005 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan with balcony girls
June 2005 - Springfield, MA - Hooters with Zuke
July 2005 - Pittsburgh, PA - Four Play and Crew
July 2005 - Pittsburgh, PA - Tubing in the Allegheny
July 2005 - Pittsburgh, PA - Inside PNC Park
July 2005 - Gurnee, IL - New wardrobe courtesy of Tiki Bar
July 2005 - Garland, TX - Held hostage by Four Play's keet
August 2005 - Van Buren, OH - Living large at Big Phan's
August 2005 - Cincinnati, OH - Getting ready for the big show!
August 2005 - Cincinnati, OH - Jamming with the Beach Bum Band!
August 2005 - Cincinnati, OH - Big Phan's Crew
August 2005 - Philadelphia, PA - Too much fun with rednekkPH and zanth (Photo courtesy of Left Field Parrothead)
September 2005 - Plant City, FL - Topless Phlocking
October 2005 - Vegas - In The Spotlight Again
October 2005 - Vegas - Gettin It On with Captain Morgan
October 2005 - Key West - MOTM with TC Mitchell (photo courtesy of Quiet and Shy)
October 2005 - Key West - MOTM with Doyle Gresham (photo courtesy of Quiet and Shy)
History:
Being a nationwide community, there is always someone from BN at a Buffett show. In fact, there are often more than 20 regulars at a given concert. In order to strengthen the community bonds, a tradition was born in 2003.
That year, I think it was frognot who bought the first tree. It was a 6-foot inflatable palm tree and it became the official BN mascot. Being from Texas, he named this tree “Lonestar Palm” or LSP – the granddaddy of them all. LSP gathered many signatures at concerts around the country, and set a precedent when it was signed by Jimmy Buffett.
In 2004, Angel Beech continued the tradition with “Junior Mint Palm”, or JMP. This tree was started in April and made it to over a dozen concerts. Jimmy Buffett signed JMP at the Today Show appearance in June. You can read about JMP's adventures here; viewtopic.php?t=23032
Overview:
SOASOAPT is the official mascot for all BN gatherings in 2005. An official BN Gathering consists of at least 2 BN'ers who do not see each other on a daily basis. Jimmy Buffett does not need to be present, but a JB concert will take precedent over a non-JB event.
Our common goal is to send SOASOAPT to as many concerts as possible, and have him signed by as many BN'rs as possible. Thanks to the Asheville BN Crew, Jimmy signed the tree on 1/11 at the CIP Opening Party. Thanks to Amy Lee, the entire Coral Reefer Band signed him the weekend of 2/12 - 2/13.
With this being the third tree in the line, we settled on the name "Son Of A Son Of A Palm Tree" (SOASOAPT). Island_hopper gets the credit for suggesting the name.
This is a community tree and every major decision has been made by majority vote.
First, we voted on what type of inflatable we should have;
viewtopic.php?t=29009
Then, we voted on the name;
viewtopic.php?t=29081
Finally, we voted on the retirement location. At the end of the year, SOASOAPT will be put on permanent display at the Atlanta Cheeseburger In Paradise;
viewtopic.php?t=42170
SOASOAPT has his own login. His login information is;
Username - SOASOAPT
Password - buffettnews
Everyone who gets him should log in as SOASOAPT to tell stories and post pictures.
He was even BN'er of the Day in October;
viewtopic.php?t=41399
Rules:
By taking delivery of SOASOAPT from another BN'er, you agree to be responsible for his safety and well being. You agree to display the tree prominently throughout the phlocking and encourage BN'ers to sign him. At the end of the official gathering, you agree to pay shipping to send SOASOAPT to the caretaker in time for the next BN gathering.
NOTE: Shipping must be via guaranteed delivery and you must send the tracking information to Four Play for confirmation.
Here is the song we penned in his honor.
Son of a Son of a Palm Tree
As the son of a son of a palm tree I went out on the tour for adventure
Expanding my view of the Buffettnews crew like a palm just released from his sand chair.
As a humper of all and a travelin palm I will chalk up many a mile
Blown by dozens of pumps, yes I've taken my lumps, but I still can continue to smile.
Son of a son, son of a son, son of a son of a palm tree.
Son of a pun; havin' lotsa fun
Always the life of the party.
Somewhere in the future, somewhat inebriated
You may shake the frond of that slutty palm
and it'll make you feel elated.
And the ladies come from far away
Just to get their groove on
He's a slutty palm, and when he is done
It's time for him to get a move on
Conolulu wrote:Just wanted to give this a bump back to top today.....Lots of new pholks around and wanted to give them a chance to read it.....
Plus, I like to go back and read it from beginning to end from time to time....
I'd forgotten that SOASOAPT was BNer of the Day one time!
Enjoy....and thanks for starting it, and to all that have contributed....
(((((((((((((BNers))))))))))))
"While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats." Mark Twainsurfpirate wrote:MONDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2008
Confused? Don't be. Visit BNCRITTERS.COM and CRITTERVILLECOVE.COM to learn more and find even more bonus "BN Critters" material.
By semi-popular demand ...... The Critters! WORLD TOUR 2008 T-shirts are now available HERE!
phjim wrote:
From the Miami Herald: "Former Key West mayor 'Tony' Tarracino dies at 92"
<em>
Anthony "Tony" Tarracino, a former mayor of Key West and legendary bar owner of "Captain Tony's Saloon" whose life was memorialized in a Jimmy Buffett song, has died, according to his wife. He was 92.
Tarracino died Saturday after being hospitalized for about a week with a heart and lung condition, said his wife of 38 years, Marty Tarracino. She and seven of his children were with him, sharing stories in his hospital room shortly before his death, she added.
His story was recounted in a film titled "The Cuba Crossing," starring Stewart Whitman as Tarracino and in a book called "Life Lessons of a Legend" that Tarracino did with Brad Manard.
Buffett, a longtime friend, sang about Tarracino's exploits in the song "Last Mango in Paris" from the 1985 album of the same name.
A service was scheduled Saturday morning followed by a reception for family and friends at Captain Tony's Saloon. Although the bar retains the "Captain Tony's" name, Tarracino sold it in 1989. </em>
From the song "Last Mango in Paris"
http://www.buffettnews.com/resources/songs/?song=119
<em>
I went down to Captain Tony's to get out of the heat
When I heard a voice call out to me, "Son, come have a seat"
I had to search my memory as I looked into those eyes
Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies
He said, "I ate the last mango in Paris
Took the last plane out of Saigon
Took the first fast boat to China
And "Jimmy, there's still so much to be done."</em>
<b>Update</b> from the Miami Herald
A public viewing is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Dean Lopez Funeral Home on Simonton Street in Key West.
On Saturday, an 11 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea church will be followed by a 1 p.m. reception for family members and his many friends at Captain Tony's Saloon.
D PHarmBoy wrote:Sail on, Captain Tony!!!
Thanks for the memories and the hours you spent with us telling your jokes and stories.
Key West won't be the same without you.
jimolliemom wrote:I am so sad...When I founded our club in Paris, Tn, I named us The Last Mango In Paris PHC. That year I made the MOTM trip and met Capt' Tony for the first of many times. We talked and he loved the idea of a club named for "HIM" as he told me! Every year thereafter I'd make sure to see and hug him when I could. He held a special place in my heart as I'm sure many of you feel. Yeah, he grabbed my boob and kissed me (and slipped me a 89 year old tongue! eeewww) but I still considered him one of the sweetest old guys ever. I will miss him...
Sail on Capt'. May you have the wind in your sail and the sun on your face forever...
Tiki Bar wrote:Sail on Captain Tony... you will be greatly missed.
Hugs and phin power to those closest in his heart.
surfpirate wrote:In August 2001 I made a solo (sans wife and kids) journey to Key West to emergency housesit for friends for one week at their William Street home in Olde Town Key West. Rough gig. Feed the cat twice a day, bring in the mail and add a chlorine tablet to the pool every 2nd day. The housesitting gig was something that my wife and I had done in June/July for 7 consecutive years for these friends, but this was the first time I did it solo.
I had all these great plans for that week. I was going to go skydiving at Sugarloaf Airport. I was going to rent a jet ski are circle the island. I was going to go snorkeling again. Maybe even pull a Papa Hemmingway and go marlin fishing.
Instead I probably spent 70% of my waking hours sitting on bar stools.
Anyhow, on about my 5th day there I learned that there was going to be a semi-private 85th birthday party for Captain Tony at the Conch Republic Seafood House on August 10th. You know, in nearly 18 years of visiting Key West and going to Captain Tony's Saloon, I had never had the chance to meet him. Every time I was there they would always say "You just missed him. He was here this morning/last night/two days ago".
Now after all of these years I was almost considered to be a local (at least by those employed or otherwise involved with the bar establishment businesses), so I was able to wrangle my way into the birthday festivities. The house I always stayed at in Olde Town was on William Street between Caroline Street and Eaton Street, and only about a 3 block walk over to the Conch Republic Seafood House (near the Schooner Wharf and Jimmy's Shrimpboat Sounds studio).
The party was a Friday afternoon shindig scheduled to begin about mid-day-ish Island Time. I showed up about 12:30pm and found a seat at the outdoor bar next to a couple of guys. One was a white haired gentleman probably about 60 years old. The other was a teenage kid, maybe about 15 years old.
"So .... do you think Captain Tony will show up today for his own birthday party?" I asked in a wise-ass kind of way to these two guys at the bar.
"Yeah ... Dad ought to be here in an hour or so" they both said. Yep. Both of these guys about 45 years apart in age were sons of Captain Tony.
As Captain Tony's own website will tell you, he is "the father of thirteen children by three wives". Well I'm guessing that I met one of the oldest and one of the youngest that afternoon.
I was able to get Tony to personally autograph one of his posters. The one with his most famous quote: "All you need in this life is a tremendous sex drive and a great ego. Brains don't mean a s***". Helluva guy that Captain Tony. They sure as hell better make a movie about his life someday.
Sail on Captain.
chippewa wrote:
"Son, come have a seat"
Sail on , Capt. Tony...
msharpe wrote:I'm down in Key West for MOTM and, although it was a shock to hear this news, I am happy that I could say goodbye to Cpt Tony on his island. We made Cpt Tony's our last stop of the night to drink one in honor of the Captain. When the band that was performing there tonight played "Last Mango", we all wiped away a tear and raised our glasses in honor of the Captain and thanked him for the many, many years of great memories!
Captain Tony - I'm honored to have met you - you were truly one of a kind and will be missed by many.
SchoolGirlHeart wrote:I'm also in KW for MOTM and was out on the sunset cruise with KD Moore, Fingers Taylor and Amy Lee when the news broke. It was very much like one of our Irish wakes. Yes, there was sadness, of course, but there was much celebration of a life well lived, and as many smiles as there were tears. KD, Fingers and Amy played Last Mango and Pirate, among others, and then Lovely Cruise.....
Sail on, Captain Tony. You will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.
From another JB song:
He's somewhere on the ocean now,
the place he ought to be;
with one hand on the starboard rail,
he's waving back at me.
Wino you know wrote:I received a text message from a friend down there last night while I was having dinner with some friends.
And here's the book:carolinagirl wrote:Capt. Tony Tarracino, recently memorialized in a new book, though already unforgettable to everyone who met him, died Saturday afternoon. He was 92.
It took me all of three hours to read from cover to cover.
What a man. What a life. What an inspiration to all.
Truly a sad day for all parrotheads, and especially for Jimmy himself.
Go with God & rest well, Captain.
Despite all I've been able to see and do in my relatively short time, one of my biggest regrets was never having the opportunity to have met you, nor any human being remotely close to the person you were.
Fair winds & following seas, my friend. I know I'll see you when I arrive at that final port of call.
Artemus wrote:That is very sad news. I was just last night working on putting together a collection of pictures of Key West into a frame that included a pic of Captain Tony and one of his saloon. I will miss him very much.
Aquaholic101 wrote:Capt Tony asked my daughter and wife to marry him. He was a trip...
Dezdmona wrote:New article in the Miami Herald with more biographical information.
''My dad said in his last couple of days that life is nothing but memories,'' TJ said. ``I'm sure he's up there playing blackjack, doubling down on a jack and king and getting an ace -- calling it the breaks. He'll live on through the stories.''
A public viewing is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Dean Lopez Funeral Home on Simonton Street in Key West.
On Saturday, an 11 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea church will be followed by a 1 p.m. reception for family members and his many friends at Captain Tony's Saloon.
"While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats." Mark TwainBless his heart........flipflopgirl wrote:Great tributes to Capt Tony!!! THanks again Dan!!!!
I thought i would post this here as well...it is Trevor's letter to his bone marrow donor!!!
I thought that we should begin the weekend with a positive thought. This the letter that Trevor had written his donor a while back. It reminded me how fortunate we are to have our Trevor with us today. Thank God for our Angela that gave so selfless of herself. Please continue to pray for our St. Jude families.
Dear Donor,
I have never met you or known you. I don't even know your name but you are my hero. You have given me the most wonderful gift a person can give. You have given me a second chance at life. I have been told that the donation process is not easy and can be very painful, and I want you to know how grateful I am that you did such a selfless and generous thing to a person you know nothing about.
Now because of you I can look forward to a full recovery and going back home to live a normal life with all of my friends and family. I am happy to say that it has been 101 days since I had my transplant. As of now I am doing great. My last bone marrow aspiration was negative for all cancer cells and I was nearly 100% of your cells. I am also back to my normal weight and I am already covered in hair again.
I can't wait until I can start hiking and biking again with my family. My dad wants to pull the camper up one weekend so we can stay at one of the local state parks. I also love to kayak and ski and tube though it may be a while longer til I can enjoy all of favorite outdoor activities. I also have fun playing with my Little Bro at Halo 3. My favorite color is blue and I am kind of a neat freak. Especially now after my experience, I want to go into medicine and become a nurse so that I can help others like me.
What about you? What do you like to do? Tell me a little about yourself in your next letter. Also, do you have any allergies? They told me that any allergies that you would have, I would also now have. The reason I ask is while I was in the hospital eating a PB & J sandwich my eyes started to swell shut.The doctors said it could have been a number of things but to stay away from nut products for now to be safe.
I apologize for not writing back sooner. We were so surprised when we were handed a letter from our donor first and so quickly. Things have been a little busy around here but are now starting to calm down. I can't wait to hear from you again so I can write you back. It's weird, but I have never had a pen pal before, or ever knew that there was someone 100% match to me. But I am sure glad I found you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Sincerely,
Me
GumboPirate Dec 7, 2008 wrote:It has been an emotional roller coaster for me this past month.
Both of my parents were diagnosed last year with stage IV cancers. This would be hard enough as it is, but I have 4 younger brothers and sisters (the youngest being 8 ). Over the last year, I've learned more about my parents than I had ever previously known--I have never seen them exhibit such strength and courage (or maybe I had and never realized it until now). To help out with the costs my parents had incurred, the Youngstown Parrot Head Club, of which I am an actively involved member, planned a huge fundraiser, which was held last night. My father was so excited for the party--it was all he talked about for months. Sadly, however, he lost his battle with the horrible disease on 11-23, a few days before Thanksgiving.
Needless to say, the holidays will be tough. The question was asked if the benefit should be called off--if my mother, who is also battling cancer, would be too upset. She said no--my father would have wanted the party to go on and that she knew he would be there in spirits.
So the planning for the party continued, and my family just continued to keep busy--trying our best to make it through the holidays. Then we got good a good update on my mom's condition, and we all breathed a tiny sigh of relief (even though she still has a long fight ahead of her).
We continued to take it day by day, and then I got a phone call from a dear friend--Mike Humes, the one who was spear-heading the benefit for my family--and he said that the band who was playing the benefit (Fins To The Left) had contacted Mr. Fingers Taylor, and that he was flying in to be at the dinner and play. I was ecstatic. I told my mom and she started to cry. I found out that I was going to be playing a few songs with him myself. I was tickled pink.
As I was practicing a few of the songs this past Friday (12/5) which I was going to perform with Mr. Taylor, my cell phone rang. Private number. I debated whether to answer--none of my friends have private numbers. Still, I picked it up. I nearly p!ssed myself when I heard who was on the other line:
"Hey, AJ. This is Jimmy Buffett. How are you doing today?"
I was in shock. It couldn't really have been. He then proceeded to tell me how the story of my family eventually ended up on his desk and how he came into possession of my phone number--through Mike Humes. He sent his deepest sympathies and talked about how he got through the difficult year when he lost both of his parents. We talked a little about the benefit and a little about life. We talked about my dad and how the rest of the family was doing. I was flabbergasted. He then asked me what he could do. I told him to keep doing what he has been doing--his music and tours have been a cornerstone of our family and bring us more joy than he will ever know. He then asked if it would allow him to have our family as his guests at a show on this summers tour. I told my mom and she started balling. My little siblings were jumping up and down. I told him it would be our honor. I told him how much the phone call meant to me, and thanked him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to put a smile on the face of a fan who could really use one. He asked if there was anything else that he could do, and I asked if he could leave my outgoing voicemail message (got the idea from reading the story of Keith's Anguilla trip and phone call a year or so ago).
He did, and it now says: "Hey. You have reached AJs phone, and this is Jimmy Buffett the answering machine. Leave AJ a message and he will call you back if he is not lost in Margaritaville somewhere. Don't forget to have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year."
Everyone has been calling my phone to hear it--I have decided to turn my phone off for a few days.
The next day (12/6) was the benefit. I had a surprise hidden up my sleeve to try and bring some happiness to the occasion. Mike and I had arranged a special fixed drawing for a door prize. Five names were drawn and the contestants came up on stage. With these 5 contestants, Mike did a reverse raffle, with the person whose name remaining in the hat winning the big prize. We set it up so that my girlfriend of 6 years would win. Inside a huge gift-wrapped box on stage was me dressed in a Santa suit, kneeling and holding out an engagement ring. When she opened the box, she nearly fainted. Tears of joy were pouring out of every eye in the facility. The band played "Love and Luck" while we danced to celebrate. It is a moment I will never forget.
I then got to play a few songs with Mr. Fingers Taylor, which included: Door #3, Frank & Lola, and Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfan.
While I lost my dad, the past 48 hours have shown me that he is still with us. I talked to my idol, played with Fingers Taylor, and got engaged to the most wonderful woman in the world, all within a 2 day span, with my dad beside me every step of the way.
Anywho.................![[smilie=gt-happyup.gif]](./images/smilies/gt-happyup.gif "gt-happyup"){kind=small}
![[smilie=hearts.gif]](./images/smilies/hearts.gif "hearts"){kind=small}
Angel Beech wrote:WOW! What an awesome surprise the Fed-ex sleigh brought today! YOU GUYS ARE JUST TOO MUCH! I am so proud to be a parrothead and to call you pholks my phriends!
Although I have been scarce around here lately, know that y'all are in my thoughts daily and we feel so much love and support constantly - it's amazing. It's been quite a journey this year and y'all have been with us every step of the way with love and support in so many ways.
This latest generous outpouring will do so much for Dana's spirit right now. It's difficult to express how it feels to have the weight of financial burden lifted at a time like this. The mental and emotional boost directly affects his battle with cancer.
There is a deep faith that runs like a line in the sand separating what really matters from what doesn't, and that line becomes blatatanly clear when one is in a battle for life everyday. Christmas presents and shopping fall on the side that doesn't matter, clarifying and solidifying the gift of life as the most treasured gift. God has given us that - in his Son, and with Dana's presence here this season, and with each of you in our lives (whether we have met you in real life or not). Your generosity will provide for his comfort through these rough times when even basic needs are precious and not taken for granted - warmth, comfort, food, and the knowledge that when he needs something, he'll have it.
Some things we've needed that we can now get are wind and weather-proofing for the cold northeast bedroom, thick warm socks for Dana and some other cozies to ward off the chills. Bottled water and a stocked pantry are riches that we will treasure. When he feels so yucky and nothing sounds palatable, having choices goes a long way towards getting him to eat something. We can get drugs at Wal-Mart, and gas for the 250-mile weekly round-trip to Dallas for chemo. We haven't had time to talk much more about it, but we'll share with you the joys your gifts bring us. It may be a DVD that we normally wouldn't splurge on, leading to movie night memories, snuggled together, that will be treasured forever.
I'll update the phin power thread with more of the latest on his medical. But for now, please accept our deepest gratitude for the phriendship, thoughts, and generosity that keep us strong through the roughest of seas. And please know that a monetary gift is not necessary to accomplish that - just knowing y'all are thinking of us and sending prayers and PHIN POWER has been an indescribable source of strength this year. And we keep smiling, dammit!
THANK YOU!!
~Becky & Dana
p.s. we will find a way to pass it forward as well.
