Blue October
Saturday, November 5th, 2011
The fall of 2011 had started off quite well, with fun trips and fun times culminating in a great weekend excursion to Los Angeles. But unfortunately, there was nothing much good waiting for me when I got home. It began innocently enough on Monday, October 10, 2011, when I met up with Jamie after work at her folks’ house. It had been over a week since I had seen her when we had gone to Chicago for my birthday. I picked her up and we headed out to dinner at the Cactus Pearl Southwest Bistro. The tamales were good. Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, August 4, 2011, was our last day in Myrtle Beach. So far it had been a great trip with my Mom & Bob, Denise & Aaron and Adam and Megan, Ashleigh and Silas, and Jamie. I didn’t like cutting the trip short since we had to be back for a wedding on Saturday, but in another regard, it wasn’t quite as sad, knowing that we had a full weekend at home, and a few adventures on which to embark as Jamie and I traveled home. But nonetheless, we had one more full day to spend…and we did it well. 
When I woke up on the morning of Sunday, October 2, 2011, I found myself in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village at the Super 8 motel. Jamie was there with me and we were preparing to spend the day scouting film locations in other nearby suburbs. I also found myself to be 40 years old. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel much different. Jamie gave me a great and thoughtful card and some sour apple Big League Chew. Of course, she was also treating in all we did this Chicago weekend. 
That sinking feeling of a vacation winding down usually comes about mid-week - especially in this case since we intended on leaving on Friday. It started for me on Wednesday, August 3, 2011. I didn’t feel like we had actually done all that much during our Myrtle Beach trip thus far, but I was perfectly okay with it, just greatly enjoying the company of Jamie, Ashleigh and Silas, my Mom & Bob, and Denise and her family. But on Wednesday, we did end up getting out a bit into the city rather than just laze by the pool and in the ocean. 
When I heard that my Grandpa Murphy had passed away just over a month shy of his 88th birthday, a flurry of forty years of memories went through my head. Memories of a strong and kind man who led an amazing life and reared a loving family. I always held a bit of a special position within that family as the oldest grandson. He was always there for any milestones that occurred in my life, up to and including dinner for my 40th birthday – which was the last time that I ever got to see him. It is strange to think that he will no longer be there to share birthdays, holidays, and that standard family gatherings that we hold throughout the year. The void left behind will never be filled.