My Ode to Davey, who is now a Quarter of a Century

I think we’ve come along way since 1993 when we were all wearing these huge, round glasses… :) (I didn’t have many pictures to choose from my younger years – most of them are at my parents’ house still – this is a doosie of me! I like that Davey is wearing a Bulls t-shirt – that was a good year…the three-peat win)

Sometimes it feels like my brother has been walking uphill all his life. From a brain trauma as a baby that caused epilepsy and other problems, to leukemia at age 4, to life-long struggles with learning disabilities, Tourette syndrome, Hepatitis C from blood transfusions in the 80s, brain surgery to fix the epilepsy… his life has not been an easy one.

But you would never guess all of that if you met Davey for the first time today. He is very social, likes to meet new people, has a funny sense of humor, and kids especially like him. Sometimes he tics or asks a random question, but he’s very observant – he notices your perfume, whether you’ve had a hair cut recently, or if you’re wearing new shoes.

Davey works part time at Dick’s Sporting Goods, goes out with the LDS Singles in his area, and participates in special recreation activities. He leaves his group home each weekend and stays with my parents and occasionally with Gram or us.

Here’s a picture from one weekend a few years ago when we convinced him it would be fun to go fly kites on the beach, though it was March and freezing (notice the ice on the lake).

He doesn’t mind looking a little silly on occasion…

He has a large collection of t-shirts (May 2005)

He likes spotting his name on signs or billboards:

He looks good in bright colors - (Davey’s 21st Birthday):

And when he’s cold, he’s not afraid to borrow a shirt that’s huge on him (my 25th birthday - we’re 4 years apart):

He takes religion seriously (this is the day of his Priesthood ordination, January 2006):

And has a special love for Gram, who has lived near him his entire life; even when he moved to a group home in Wichita, Kansas when he was a teenager, she sold her house here and moved to Wichita (her 81st birthday):

Davey calls people all the time. He has stayed in touch with tons of relatives – from our wonderful Aunt Babz to many of my grandparents’ siblings that are still alive, to family friends that live all over the country… he calls them on a regular basis. He calls me at least once a day, sometimes happy, other times complaining about some frustration. He calls my parents at least twice a day.

Davey likes to go places, even if it’s just down the street to the lake with us:

He’s definitely not one to sit around at home and do nothing.

He’s pretty good at blowing out the candles, even if it takes a few tries (his 22nd birthday):

And like I mentioned before, he really loves Gram. Her license plate says, DVSGRAM:

We like to tease him on Sundays because he tends to wear his pants a little too high – he doesn’t always appreciate the teasing, but we can usually convince him not to have the pants above his belly button.

He LOVES to travel and has gone on some fun trips alone with Gram or my dad, and also as a family (notice his shirt from a recent trip on his 23rd birthday):

He likes trying new things. This is from Thanksgiving 2007 – eating at the Kellogg Thanksgiving with friends because my parents and Gram were in Italy (Gram was on vacation with friends, fell in a train station and broke her hip – my parents flew out to help her while she was in the hospital).

Davey LOVES bowling. He bowls every Saturday in a special recreation league in his area. He has his own bowling ball, bag, shoes… I wish I knew what his highest score was – it’s somewhere around 130.

Eli has always loved Davey. I think they’ll always have a close relationship. Probably Charlie too as he gets a little older.

And here’s Davey on the computer, which is often where you can find him, looking up deals, movie reviews, anything entertainment related, particularly with country music singers.

We love you Davey!