You Need Ryan-O Skin to Get to the End of the Maze through this World

*EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook, please note that the videos will not show up in this post. You must go out to the actual website to see the videos.*

This was a week of ups and downs and stark contrasts. The weather started out a little better early in the week, reaching in to the 50’s. However, by the end of the week, we were engulfed in a cold snap that had us in the midst of sub-freezing temps – forcing us to get back in to our winter routine (i.e., breaking out the winter coats, warming up cars, and turning on the heat throughout the entire house). As I posted last week, Ann held a photo shoot to do our own Christmas cards this year. I thought the props, lighting and poses were perfect as Ann is getting really good at using our big camera. She finished up the photos and uploaded them into some website and we actually received them back this week. It was all very impressive. Now we have no excuse to not send out Christmas cards this year! 😛 Monday was pretty typical, as Ann and Abby spent the night at the Dixon Dance Studio. The boys ate at Mom & Gigi’s house and spent about an hour venting and processing our Mondays.

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On Tuesday, Matt again had pep band and wrestling practices. Luke had school and brought back a lovely picture of Santa he drew for Ann & I. We started a major renovation project at work, tearing out the front walk overhang that had degraded to the point of being unsafe. It looks so different right now. We are planning to put a smaller one back on it later next week, once we can secure a building permit. I built Lukey a new computer that night and put it into service. He was in need of a better one, as it could no longer play all his new games. He was thrilled and I was impressed I was able to build it so quickly. Earlier that day, we received the terrible news that our good friend from college, Ryan Brodfuehrer, passed away from an apparent heart attack. He was my age. We were in shock all week; and it really put things in perspective…that being we’re old!!

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On Wednesday, Ann went scrapbooking all night, so the kids and I built a giant train track and played with it for most of the night. As promised, here is the third installment of Matt “Elfing Ourselves.??? 🙂

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On Thursday, I endured my first State Fire Marshal inspection at work. We are expecting at least two more entities to tour the facility before year’s end. This was a big step for me as the EOC Manager / Safety Officer. We worked hard this week (and have worked hard the previous couple months leading up to this moment) in preparation, so we were ready. It showed, as he gave us a glowing review! We were thrilled and breathed a huge sigh of relief that afternoon. That night, Matt played his second performance in pep band at the “A??? team Jr. High basketball games. The band is sounding better and expanding their repertoire of songs, playing nine songs that night.

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On Friday, Ann was again out scrapbooking. I think it was with a different crowd though. We held family night without her. We went out to dinner with Mom & Gigi (and Gracie) to Mancino’s. We hadn’t been out to the new location yet, so it was nice to try something different (there truly isn’t much to choose from here in G’burg!). Afterward, we came home and set up the card table in the living room, giving it a nice ambience next to the Christmas tree. We put on our Disney Christmas CD (Sounds of the Season) and played a long game of Sorry! Matt was behind the entire game and came out of nowhere to win. Then we snuggled up with blankets and watched Night at the Museum 2. We all fell asleep on the couch until Ann woke us up around midnight. The FBO message board had a link to one of this guy’s (Hiro – AKA LarzGallows) ZoSolo videos on YouTube. He has put up several phenomenal ZoSolo videos. I was particularly blown away by this one. He plays all of the instruments and his tone is spot-on! If you are a Zeppelin fan (and who isn’t??), you are going to love this:

On Saturday, we had the unfortunate task of going to see Ryan one final time. Although it was great to see so many of our old friends that we had grown apart from, it was obviously a terrible reason to meet. Although the initial showing was supposed to last three hours, it took us nearly 2 hours to get through the line, during which we enjoyed catching up with the old crew. When we finally left the funeral home after 6, there was still a line that would have taken a couple hours to get through, so I don’t know if they stayed open later or what; but it was really cool to see all the love for that man. Everyone that knew him loved him. I seriously doubt that he had any enemies. He was just that kind of guy. Ryan loved animals and was such a kind, gentle man…and always a good-natured, funny guy to be around. He usually had a big shit-eating grin on his face that always made you wonder what he was up to! He was working at an animal shelter up in Carmel and living up there as well. I know we have several pictures of Ryan around this house, but an hour-long search turned up zero. Thankfully, our good friend Pat posted one an old picture on Facebook and I found a good one on the website of the soccer team (his other passion) he was playing with on Tuesday nights. We have so many humorous stories to share, but just aren’t appropriate to share on this forum…

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On Sunday, we caught up all our chores, cheered on the Colts to a record victory and cussed during the Cowboys game. Ann and Bu went out shopping all day, so the boys had the run of the house. Here is this week’s video which is primarily a medley of snippets of the Jr. High Pep Band on Thursday night:

With thanks to Aunt Sharon for sharing a couple photos, I have lots of Waybac pictures this week. Leading off, we have Grandmaw and Grandpaw Brown in March of 1964. Also included is one of Mom & I at Grandmaw & Grandpaw’s house on August 15, 1974. Here’s Mom & Grandmaw at Lou’s house on May 23, 1976. Looks like they’re having a pretty good time too! ;-P

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This next batch is from the early eighties. First up is the Bryan Christmas at our Kenwood St. home in 1981. The second one is a special one. Sorry the quality isn’t better, but that is how the original looks as well. This is from Easter on April 19, 1981 at Grandmaw & Grandpaw’s house. It includes Great Grandpa Morgan, Grandpaw Brown, Dad B, myself and a young Robby. The last one is Grandpaw w/ Santa, during one of the three years in a row that he came to visit our home on Rockwood St. in 1983.

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Next we fast-forward to later in the same decade. The first one a cute one from the summer of ’84 and features Grandmaw & Rob in her Elmwood St. home in Lafayette. The second one is an old favorite. It features Grandpaw & Robby at our Rockwood St. home in LaPorte, during Thanksgiving in 1984. The third and fourth ones are from about 1985. I’m not certain, but this could be from our Florida vacation. I don’t know what’s more frightening, my tiny trunks or Rob’s Care Bear floatie! 😛 …ah yes; I can almost hear him screaming, “Mom! He’s looking at me!! Mom! He’s making fun of my Care Bear!!??? LMAO! Also included here is the other one from Aunt Shar. It features Mom & Dad B, as well as Sharon and Dan. They were attending Grandmaw & Grandpaw Brown’s 40th Anniversary party that Mom threw for them in Lafayette on 8/30/86. What a special night that was for the two of them.

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The last batch is from the nineties. The first one is another from Sharon and shows the four of us out in front of the Rockwood home. This was my college graduation party in June of ’91. That was a good time… The final two are from September of 1996. The first is at our apartment in Columbus on September 8th and has Matt with 2 of his 3 grandmothers. The second one is a week later and features 2 of the 3 Brown kids, my Aunts Dorothy and Marylou. This was at one of the fish fry / reunions at Marylou & Kenny’s house in Rossville.

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OK; that’s it for this installment of the Scheu Family Blog. Thanks as always for tuning in to see what we’re up to…we’ll catch up with ya next time. Until then, have a good one. Later, Scheu

6 comments to You Need Ryan-O Skin to Get to the End of the Maze through this World

  • Mom

    Tom, our deepest sympathy on the loss of your friend. It does put things into perspective doesn’t it? It can happen at any age. Thanks for the U-tube video and yes Matt is getting better all the time. In your defense, the picture you said had you in a little bathing suit – I believe it was longer but you wanted to get your legs tanned and so you pulled it up some when you laid in the lounge chair. Yes, I believe it was our vacation in Florida back at the hotel. That was a fun time escept that you really didn’t want to be there with your “parents and little brother”. Love you and the wonderful pictures. Have a good week. Love, Mom and Dad

  • Sharon

    OMG look at my hairdo in the pix of Bryan xmas. Too funny. Sorry to hear about your friend’s passing.

    Love, Aunt Sharon

  • Rob

    Hey Tom I was very sorry to hear about Ryan I am pretty sure I hung out with him you and Paul a few times, he was very nice I remember. I hope you have a good week and the latest pics of the kids were really good. I think it is really neat that they get along the way they do. We use to just hate each other at times, probably cuz I was such a little shit. LMAO at the pictures of us on vacation also. I remember that was probably a difficult vacation on mom and dad because I think we drove them nuts. God how lucky we are to have them as parents their the best! I had never seen the picture of all us guys with grandpa morgan and brown what a great picture! The one of me and grandpa breaking the wishbone was always one of my favorites. I idolized and looked up to that man so much when I was that age. I hope he can finally look down and be proud of me. Well take it easy bro!

  • Mom

    Tom, I just realized what you had in your hands in the picture of you and me at Grandma’s table – it was a bubble gum bank you justed to have. Do you remember that????? You were a cutie!!!! Oh those were the days!!

  • scheu

    Thanks for all the nice words, guys. Yeah; Ryan was one of the old gang. We had grown apart in recent years, but he always popped in our conversations. Believe it or not, Mom, I did enjoy myself that week in FLA…even though I’m sure I didn’t act like it! I’m sure my payback is coming. Robby, you are correct, we hung out with Ryan both at our townhouse and at Paul’s apartment. I don’t know if you remember playing frisbee at all when you were down staying with me (remember Woodstock ’94 weekend??), but he was the other guy playing frisbee outside with us at Paul’s apartment. …and you’re right, we did have really good parents; you don’t realize it at the time – they’re only mean and don’t know squat – but when you grow up and get around kids (whether working with them, having your own or whatever), you find out real fast how hard it truly is to do the right thing. No one is perfect, but those two did a pretty damn good job of preparing us for adulthood. …and yeah Mom, oh yeah! I do remember that gumball machine. I had an Abe Lincoln bank too, as I recall. I played with that thing until it broke…had it a couple years. I thought I was on top of the world with my gumball machine, record player and 2 boxes of 45’s…I had my own malt shop! 🙂 …you’re right…those were the days! Even though we didn’t have much, it didn’t feel like it at the time. …and my kids think THEY have it rough… Talk to you guys next week! I hope next week’s pictures get us talking like this again; I love it! 🙂 Thanks guys,

  • Rob

    I sure do remember playing frisbee with you guys a nd who could forget Woodstock 94 weekend. I had a great time over that weekend,hehe thanks bro. I enjoyed coming to your townhouse so much and many fond memories of back then. Remember the midnight swim at the Boys Club? I remember that darn basketball goal beside the pool was almost impossible to make a basket in. Haha! Dude I am so thankful we can now look back in life and laugh at all the good times we had together growing up as brothers. I love you buddy! And I am so thankful I lived thru all my stupid shit and have moved on.