And so it starts...

So, Gabe's sixth Little League season has officially kicked off.

I'm in charge of the concession stand, so I'll be down at the field WAY too much. But its for a good cause.

Here's Gabe in his new uniform. Go Cards!

Christmas Pics 2007

Here are some Christmas Pics my beautiful niece Meghan posted on flickr.

You can see more here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/22917079@N00/48ASy9

Here are just a few of them...

Me reading during my Father's Funeral.



Rett, me, Lily and Meghan
outside in the snow.


Lily and DC



Gabe in mid-snow ball fight.



DC post snow ball fight.

Matt Maher - LIVE!

Friday night most of my family, along with a healthy dose of my daughter's youth group friends and Espiritu Santo Lifeteen band members, trekked to St. Raphael's Catholic Church for a wonderful outdoor concert featuring my favorite Christian artist, Matt Maher, along with his mentor and fellow musician Tom Booth.

Matt and Tom on stage

They tailored their performance to be more contemplative and prayerful in honor of the Lenten season. These two very talented musicians, with only guitars and microphones at the ready, touched us with their words and music. They shared stories of their lives and offered numerous prayerful moments.

It was a wonderful night of music.

Cathy and Dea

To only add to the night was the ability to share it with some of the great friends and truly wonderful people that we have come to know and love at Espiritu Santo. I got to speak at length, for the first time, with Cathy, the leader of our Lifeteen band, only to find we had a lot in common. She is a beautiful person inside and out. We laughed a lot and were grateful for the faith community of which we had become a part.

The girls having fun

We marveled at how blessed we were to have such wonderful children who have so peacefully and willingly embraced their faith. We realized that it was beyond our own doing, but instead that of the Holy Spirit, which ignites the fires of faith within them. We are merely tenders of the fire, stoking it with example and direction and prayer.

Seeing my daughter, DC, with her friends, Tiffany, Mary, Kelli, the Larame's, among others... it was very touching. It reminded me when I was with my youth group as a teen, full of life and hope and ambition and a faith that was so incredibly pure. I envied her a bit.

As the songs played, Dea and I, arms wrapped around each other, stood behind the teens near the stage, singing loudly to the wonderful songs being performed.

My sister Mary, who had known Matt M. for years (as he roomed with her son, Matt Smith, for quite some time), had all of us make signs to hold up during the concert so he would know we were there. My son Gabe was right up front, waving signs along with his cousin Chaz. Other family members with signs were scattered about the crowd. Mary also had her son text message Matt M to give him a heads up that we would be attending. When he saw the signs he smiled and acknowledged us in the audience. The kids loved that!

Cathy's daughter, Tiffany, a serious Matt Maher fan, tried to convince me that I had adopted her so I could give her permission to marry Matt. She is such a funny, vibrant kid! She joked all night calling me Dad and saying she was Tiffany Bauer. She made me laugh quite a few times.

After the music and prayers Matt M and Tom were available to sign autographs, take pictures and sell CDs. Once the crowds had thinned out we made our way over to see Matt. I was touched that he remembered me (at Matt Smith's bachelor party I gave Matt M $50 because I had received copies of three of his CDs). When I saw him I jokingly told him I overpaid and wanted $5 bucks back.

Matt stiffing me the

$5.oo he owes me :)

He was very gracious and humble, as always, shaking hands and taking pictures with our youth group from Espiritu. It was a brief visit, but it was great to see him again. He is such a talented person! He is truly gifted and his music inspires me like no other. I am so impressed by his ability.

Matt and the ecstatic Tiffany "Bauer"

It was a nice end to an otherwise emotional day. We all left with our spirits renewed, our faith strengthened and our appreciation for the gifts we have been given amplified.

A fun, fun night.

Father's Burial

Well, the long process of burying my father finally came to a conclusion this weekend. This past Friday, the day after Valentine's Day, family and friends again gathered at Bay Pines Cemetery to wish my father a final farewell and place his ashes in the ground.

Upon arriving, spirits were high. Seeing distant family again and my father's co-workers from decades past was a blessing and many funny memories were shared.

As we drove to the actual location of the burial in this grand cemetery, my emotions were fine. I had come to a wonderful peace about my father's passing and had remained relatively sadness-free for the past month... that is until my wife notices the sailors dressed in their best whites, especially the one holding the horn to play taps.... that's when my emotions flooded back. It was difficult to keep from bursting into tears.

The immediate family sat in an outdoor pavilion near my father's plot as Father Pecchie spoke of his memories of my father and finalized the funeral that had started in North Carolina almost six weeks previously. Afterwards, the Navy sailors played taps, refolded the flag and handed it to my mother, thanking her for my father's service to his country.

It was very moving.

Afterwards we moved over to his plot and prayed while his ashes were placed into the ground. Then Dea, the kids and I circled his plot, held hands and prayed an Our Father, three Hail Mary's and a Glory Be, then thanked my father once more for his example and love.

We followed the burial with a celebration at my brother's house. Food was aplenty and Betty did a great job of organizing and hosting the event. The DVD I had made for my father was shown again and those who had not seen it before were greatly touched.

The rest of the time we spent sharing and laughing, remembering and simply loving each other... just as Dad would have liked.

My sister Mary joked that "only Dad would stretch out this thing so long just to stay the center of attention." I followed with "yeah, now three holidays are attached to him... Christmas, New Years and Valentines!"

We had a lot of laughs.

That night most of us attended a Matt Maher concert and the following night we again got together for one final meal together before we all headed back home.


I love my family. I am so blessed to be a part of it. Full of love and faith and compassion and caring... it's a gift. A gift started by my parents and an equal reflection of my mother and my father.

Their legacy will live on for generations.