• When I would ask what he was doing in the army he always would respond, The guys and I are holding hands and singing kumbaya. No one could ever get a straight answer.
• John was a great big brother and a good protector. One time my other brother got in a fight with me in the car. We were both yelling at each other, I think I even started it. John pulled the car over. It was really late and he told my brother to get out of the car. He said no one ever yelled at his younger sister especially family. This meant a lot. He picked my other brother back up once he calmed down and talked to him and showed lots of love to both of us. He never let anything happen to me or our family. He had a calming fun and loving effect on all of us.
• I wrote John in Iraq. I would spend an hour decorating the letter and then start writing in it, After I had sent him a couple of these letters he told me he loved them but that he had to destroy them. He said he did not want anybody getting a hold of family information and harming me. So he would “self destruct the letters in minutes after he read them.” He would burn them. He said to think of my letters as if I was writing top secret messages. It was fun but I couldn’t believe he burnt all of them. I love how even across the world he was trying to protect me, our country, and our family.
• John thought he was every race to mankind. He would have a joke for every race, white, black, brown, or blue (It did not matter). I love when he would say, “Do you hate me because I am black?”- Hey my sister from another mister, Hey my brother from another mother” , When he felt Mexican he would tell me all these jokes and then say, “When you mess with one bean you mess with the whole burrito.” He loved the Tongan people. Any chance he could get talking or eating with them he would take it.
• He was very supportive of my work. I became a nurse almost a year ago. When I would work my three days in a row and then drive home he would talk to me for the whole hour till I was safely home. I would tell him he did not have to but he did not want me to fall asleep. He would ask how my night was dealing out drugs. (John would also say is, “So that brings me to my next point… Don’t smoke crack”. Or he would say “Don’t do drugs”) Some days we would not have a lot happening so he would look up top 100 movies and music on line and sing and quote the movies. His fav. To quote was Billy Madison and 3 Amigos. “Can I have your watch when you are dead.” “Shampoo is better ….no conditioner is better.”
• He would drop anything and give everything on a minute’s notice. One time I was having a hard time in school. He said I would do much better if I had a planner so I would not be so stressed. My family was all out of town but next thing I know John had drove from Phoenix to Mesa and was at my door to take me to Franklin Planner (where he used to work one time). He paid for the planer even when I insisted to pay for it. He didn’t have a lot of money at the time but he wanted to give it to me for my house warming gift. He did lots of service for everyone not just for me. He took Phillip, Darren, and me to fix my Grandma’s toilet.
• He also was one of the first ones to meet Darren because Darren and John were helping David move into his house. I wasn’t even dating Darren at the time and John was really cool about it. He just talked about riding a motorcycle and tearing his ACL when ridding it. The next time after we were married and went up to our cabin to help my Aunt and Uncle fix the floor John was crazy but by that time Darren was married to me so what could Darren do!!! J/K Darren loved John. We heard some of the best Jokes on that ride with John, Phillip, Darren and me crunched into that car. When we went to KFC and John thinking he was black again.
• I loved the picnics he took me on. He would have little sister- brother dates with me when I was younger. He would take me to the parks and have a lunch and play games with me. One date he took me to the wedge because I begged him to teach me to rollerblade. He rented me skates and when I tried to go down the hill where everyone skated I was too scared so I walked on the grass and scooted on my bum down the hill. I was a chicken but he pulled me along and helped me skate. That was the only time I rollerbladed till I was in college. I loved to be with everyone that John loved. I remember John letting me hang out with all of his friends and the girls he liked. Except he did tell me to stop crawling all over his guy friends. His friends were like my brothers. Gary was in our reclining chair more than any one in our family.
• He was a great dad to his kids. When I told him I was sending a letter to him he would ask if I had sent letters to his daughter. I never was good at sending her one too but he thought of them always first. Him and his children would light up when they saw each other. He would be exhausted from his leave from the army and yet he would take his kids and hang out with them. I loved that he got a tricycle custom painted like a chopper. Just a normal tricycle would not do. He had to go above and beyond. He took Megan on dates like he did for me when I was younger. He was a good date.
• Speaking of Dates, John set the standard. All my brothers are romantics and love fun group dates. Ben even made me a book of good ideas. Phillip doubled with me on my first date but who could not grow up wanting to go on dates like John did. He was my role model for dating. I did not kiss like he did, but I did try out some of the date ideas. Some that I never did that were way cool was that he went to Disney Land, also the full body suits that had booties and all that they painted for each other, and the industrial cellophane that he would wrap the girls in. He would have them hold a rose and then would wrap them head to toe in it before they knew what was going on. Then he would go through the whole date with them wrapped. How funny. The girls must have liked him a lot to let him take them out in public like that. As I grew up I tried to be like him and plan creative dates.
• He hated to write, so on his mission he drew me pictures. For his Christmas in Australia he had drawn me a Santa Clause in red swim shorts diving, and across the top said merry Christmas from Down Under. I liked the drawings as much as the writing. In Iraq I would write him and then he would call me. He hated writing and reading. He was the one who introduced books on CD and ipod to me. I got into the Harry Potter ones. Now every time I go to work I like popping a new book in and listening to it. However I like more girlie books and he liked Science fiction. Also the first book over 100 pages I read was the Light in The Attic, because that was his fav. And he had it with us on a vacation to Utah. He let me read it all the way back home. He sang a few of the poems for us.
• John’s nick name for me was Nins or ninners my dad started calling me ninnies which to this day I did not know that was a real word. (Dad I was curious if it meant any thing to my surprise the definition of ninny is: A fool) You guys are so fired!
• I loved the velociraptor and John was real good at the snake he could attack you from the back or the front.
• John had any tool and knew how to use it. For someone who hated to read he sure read a lot of manuals. He knew a lot of random things and when ever anybody needed things fixed he knew what to do. Man has any one looked at my parent’s house. It is over 35 years old and it looks better than it has ever looked. Thanks John for keeping it up and thanks Phillip. Phillip was a big help.
• John could convince people to do things. He told everyone how great Skype is. Everyone in my family got it. I was one of the last ones to pick it up. A couple of weeks ago I got it. I never got to talk to him with it but I hope I will still get to use it with my family. I agree with John it is pretty cool.
• John came to a lot of things of mine like band concerts (I played trumpet because John did and he gave me his trumpet) and tennis. He came to Darren’s graduation. He was one of the only ones to come and support Darren in his all you can eat wing eating contest. Boy did he cheer. Thanks Phillip for trying to make it. In my journal all the time I said oh John was here today. I did not say what we did a lot because he came around a lot. I remember him as a ward missionary when I was in high school and how good he was and how he served a lot of people.
• John always was chewing on something. He always had a toothbrush with a pick on the end in high school. I don’t know if he carried it with him just because he liked a clean mouth or if it was to be prepared for a clean mouth to kiss girls on a moment’s notice.
• John was busy when he got into the army. If you wanted to see him you had to do what he was doing. Right before he went to Iraq I remember Darren and I went to hang out with him and lucky for us he taught us how the army folded their clothes. Once I got the hang of it we were able to do the rest of his clothes. At the time I couldn’t believe he was making me fold his clothes for him, but looking back I am happy I could help before he left and I am happy I got to spend that time with him.
• Again he came back from Iraq and he begged for me to come to Phoenix and see him. I was working the next day and we were visiting other family. But because it was not every day that I got to see John I went to Encanto Park. I only saw him for 15 minutes and then this girl came and he ran off with her, while he had us watch the kids. I was a little mad because I came all the way down for that. Then later that night he came back and introduced us again to that girl… That girl was Lila (his new wife). I am so happy that he had me come and see him. That was the last time I saw him. He was so happy. I wouldn’t have traded those 15min. for anything.
Thoughts
I love John and I can see a lot of other people did too. I am so grateful I had such a great brother and I hope I can be more like him. I remember he was not always perfect but he knew what was right. I got married young and he one time told me to not make the mistakes he did and to pray for Darren and me in our own prayers every night of our marriage. As my big brother I wanted him to also be happy. I was so happy when he found Lila and things worked out. He would call me and tell me how great she was after they were married and how much he loved her. She loved John for all that he was. What a blessing it is to have her in our family now. I am so happy we have Megan and Joshua. They are the cutest kids ever. I hope they know I am praying for them and I love them so much. I am grateful for all the people here that came and supported me and my family. I love reading all the other memories of John because I forgot some of those things which made me laugh and really touched me.
Last I would like to say John I can’t wait to put my arms around you after this life is over for me and tell you how proud I am to have you as an older brother. I hope are you are doing well there! Thanks for all the good times. I love you so much. Till then rest in peace my fav. Brother named John :-) .
No comments:
Post a Comment