I can’t believe it’s been a year. A whole year since my dad lost his fight with cancer. The pain has definitely subsided over that time, especially knowing that he isn’t suffering anymore. No more shitty chemo. No more convulsions. No more meds. No more being an invalid. And that’s good because my dad hated being dependent on anyone.
Tonight, I’ll join my family in a service to remember my dad. And that’s good because we all need some closure.
We miss you dad.
Today, my dad would’ve turned 67. It’s the first birthday we’ll celebrate without him. As the day goes by, the realization that he’s no longer with us really sets in. I know this day is going to be very rough for all of us, especially my mom. She’s experiencing a whole different level of sorrow than my brothers & I.
My youngest brother already sent me a text message this morning with a simple “I miss him” but simple as it may be, a text message on the phone, I know what he’s feeling on the other side of that line because I’m feeling the same way. I know my brother Rick is also down. I don’t need to ask him. I just know because he was taking care of my dad till his final days. Today is a tough day for him too.
Dad, we miss you so much but we know you’re better off now. A couple of things that I would’ve given you today:
A bottle of Jovan, your favorite cologne. As much as we tried to get you to switch to something cooler, you loved your Jovan:
Kisses and hugs from your 8 grandchildren (yep even the one that’s coming soon from Rick & Cindy):
Another day in North Carolina:
More time being harassed by your sons:
Enchilado de Langosta:
Most of all, I would’ve given you more time with Mom:
I hope you’re celebrating your butt off today, Dad. Without you, we wouldn’t be here and I appreciate you giving me life. Happy birthday.
We submitted our daughter Brianna’s picture to the Elvis Duran Battle of the Babies. It’s a fun contest put on by our local radion station Y100 & since she turned 1 year old yesterday, we thought this would be a great memory for her scrapbook if she won (which according to my wife, she’s a shoe-in). I’m enlisting the help of all of my family, friends, readers, Twitter followers, & perfect strangers to help BriBri win!
So starting at 8am EST, I need everyone to go and vote for little BriBri!
Now, I know that every parent thinks there child is the most beautiful baby in the world and I’m no exception. So I’ll post some pics so you can see why my little girl is just absolutely adorable:
The picture I submitted to Y100:
Some other great pictures:
So be sure to click the button below and VOTE FOR BRIANNA!! 
It seems like only yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and look at her now at 4 months old:
My wife and I definitely make pretty babies. 
My lovely wife gave birth to our newest family member, Brianna Nicole Bango. She was born healthy and full of hair! I'd like to thank everyone for their well-wishes and I'd especially like to thank Ben Nadel for his generous gift. Ben, we got an awesome video monitor with your Amazon gift. Thank you so much!
You can see a whole gallery of pics at the web album.
Wow. I can't believe that I've managed to be around for 40 years on this floating rock. I think some folks might get freaked out by hitting the big 4-0. Not me. I have a new baby on the way, an amazing wife, 3 awesome children and a great career. I'm very fortunate to have been able to accomplish as much as I have and enjoy the people that have made my life worth it.
So now I have at least another 40 to look forward to with a big family and an amazing wife & kids.
Life is good.
So I'm moving at the end of this week to my new home and when I saw this cartoon, I busted out laughing…mainly because its so true.
Leave it to User Friendly to hit it right on the head.
I always thought that one of me was enough but after having 3 children already with not one complaint to date, I figured a fourth would be just fine. These were taken today:
I can’t believe it’s been a year. A whole year since my dad lost his fight with cancer. The pain has definitely subsided over that time, especially knowing that he isn’t suffering anymore. No more shitty chemo. No more convulsions. No more meds. No more being an invalid. And that’s good because my dad hated being dependent on anyone.
AIM: iamreybango
