Family

This past week K and I were in Indianapolis at JR and Kates house. We had the most amazing time getting to know Finn, my nephew. He is a perfect little boy, crys when he is hungry and when he needs some changing, which I didn't have to do while I was there, but just hangs out the rest of the time. It is an amazing feeling to hold a child, a baby, but I never knew how it felt to hold one so close to me. Finn and I had a chance to bond quite a bit, and now I miss him madly. While I was there I got a chance to do some work around their house, I added some power out to their garage and a phone in the office. JR, my father, and I spent a few days remodeling the back porch, we took out the walls and made it more into a deck for summer sitting and fire-fly watching. It was fun working with the both of them.

I was excited to see my brother in his new life. The house was awesome, much bigger than the pictures lead to believe. The attic project will make the living space 2x bigger and will add room to grow for their family. Kate has done a great job of making the house a reflection of the both of them. I got to watch the first US soccer game at a cool bar in the down town area of Fountain Square with JR, and the experience was not overshadowed by the loss. As we toured the areas important to Kate and JR I began to realize why they were there. I know that JR made the move east for Kate and partly for himself, but I was worried for him. I know that having a friend in your spouse can bring you through a lot of things, but having community is extremely important. I had my wife with me in San Diego, but outside of the family we had there, we had no friends, and we didn't survive there. JR and Kate have some amazing friends there, the most important thing I brought back with me. I now know that they will be fine, with the community, and that means the most to me.

My parents came a few days into the trip and seeing them with Finn was awesome. Their first grandchild, and their two sons with their beautiful wives. I know that they are proud of both of us. I couldn't picture a life like this when we lived in Solvang, but I know God could, and I know that its through Him that we are all in the places we are now. We spent a day at Kates parents house up at the lake. We took the pontoon boat out for a spin, docked at a restaurant and ate while the sun went down. I made a fireworks purchase earlier in the day and I couldn't wait to set them off. As soon as we got back to the house I brought them down and my bro and I set up at both ends of the U shaped dock and fired away, not five minutes into it though, God decided to laugh at us. First it was some distant lightning and thunder, but that quickly led into wind that knocked our sparklers over, and then some thick heavy rain that basically put them out and sent us running up the stairs to the cover of the house. During our stay there I had the pleasure of getting my pride handed to me yet again by my father, and brother, and Tom (father in law). We had a round of golf, keep in mind I play more than all of them, I live in golf Mecca. My father won, he plays once a year at the most, then Tom then JR, I stopped keeping score for myself at hole 11. My first shot was the best of the day, a drive smack down the middle of the fairway. I was the only one on that hole to be playing the proper fairway, all three of them were deciding to take a short route and cut across the 17th hole. All down hill from there but when it counted I outdrove my bro. Stickin it to him when I can. Then a few days later we played frolf (Frisbee golf), again I was doing good with the drive but my short game sucks tar off boat bottoms. And I stepped on a bee. Whatever.

I had a wonderful time getting to know Kate JR and Finn in their life in Indy. It was an honor to be with my family and to welcome the next generation of the Rohl clan into the world. I am happy for my brother and Kate. I am happy for my parents, proud grandparents. And I am better for making the trip and meeting the people of Fountain Square who have taken my brother in and befriended him. Thank you guys for everything.