Monday, September 19, 2011
When I moved to Phoenix in 1984, I assumed I would lose touch with this family. That was before cell phones and email when you actually had to pick up a phone and dial long distance or sit down and write a note or letter. We amazingly managed to stay in touch, and when technology advanced, Paul, Tim, Mike and even Paul Sr would email me. Usually they were jokes or inspiration pieces, but they were a link and I treasured them.
When Paul got his job as a merchandiser, we became good friends. He was in Arizona a couple of times a year and we had some fun times at the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff, riding the Valley Verde Train, and watching July 4th fireworks over the Phoenix skyline. I even flew to California once when he was there and we went to Big Bear Lake and Arrowhead Lake and stayed with a friend of mine who has a cabin in the mountains. Paul taught me how to drive mountain roads by downshifting in order to save wear and tear on brakes. Of course he just showed me. He wasn't about to let me drive his car!
When I got a cell phone Paul would give me grief because I didn't have text and couldn't send or receive pictures. He was the primary reason I finally upgraded - I was tired of his crap! He would text, send me pictures of his family, and tell me what songs to listen to and what movies to see. We had some lively discussions on these topics since his - "quote, unquote" - TASTE in movies was quite different from mine. He was very set in his ways and try as I might I could never get him to a foreign film or a sushi bar! He DID introduce me to Pink, whom I really enjoy, and I can never hear her sing without thinking of Paul.
We all know he loved his car. And football. It was frustrating when he would be in town and we couldn't explore on weekends if there was a game. I remember one game we were watching and even thou Paul Sr was 1000 miles away it was like he was right there. They kept calling each other talking about the previous play or what the strategy should be. I'm sure it was an OU game. Or Dallas. With Romo at the helm. Another subject of lively discussions.
As much as Paul loved football he loved his family more. There was nothing more important to him. One Sunday the AZ Cardinals were playing in their brand new stadium. Paul was in town. He had never been to a pro game, so I found 2 tickets at a reasonable price. He said to hold off purchasing them until he made sure he finished up his job on Sat. He said he'd call 1st thing Sun morning and let me know if he had to work or if he had finished. At that point he had been in Phx 2 or 3 weeks and on the road 2 or 3 months. When I hadn't heard from him by 9am I called. He was already 2 or 3 hours out of town on his way home. As much as he LOVED football, he preferred to head home rather than wait another day. To me that sums up his essence. He constantly talked of his family. He loved you more than anything. Even football.
