What a SeWELL Day: Heeeeeeeeerrrrrreeeeeeeeee's Johnny

We lost one of our very best friends a few weeks ago, he was in our wedding & in our lives since Hubby and I have been together. "Taco", one of his many nicknames was 38 and he died on his birthday & was from near Pittsburgh, PA. He was drinking with some friends celebrating, & as he was en route to another bar he had a heart attack and died before the ambulance ever made it to the hospital. A heart attack?? 38???? On his BIRTHDAY?? What??? my point exactly! Thats like, unheard of right?? We got the phone call around 4am and you know those are the worst kind of calls to get. Our other very close friend up there "Ebo" called & all I remember is waking up in a daze feeling Hubby grab my arm telling me Taco was gone, Taco was dead. I dont know how some people react to news that a loved one is gone, but for me I start thinking of moments together with that person & relive the memories in my mind. Every thought & moment he was with us was a smile the guy was the king of fun times!

He & Hubby met at work a year or so before we got together and he said they instantly became friends. Taco was one of the funniest, make you smile kinda guys that always had something smart ass to say. He moved down here with a few friends and he lived here until about 4 years ago when his Dad was going through throat cancer. In all those years he lived here he became a part of our family, the guy that was always around. Christmas, birthdays, any day he & Hubby would be side by side. For my birthday one year Hubby bought us tickets for the Family Values Tour & I was happy, then I figured out my birthday included our two tag-alongs Taco & Ebo. We ended up having a blast, and we didnt get kicked out for once. He loved the Steelers, the Pirates, hats, beer, women, Britany Spears, ER, UFC, beer, partying, traveling, having fun, smiling, his family, his friends, money, his dog, beer, women, smelling hair (which my poor best friend found out first hand during our wedding getaway), women, feet, beer, and enjoying his life. He was such an awesome guy, I never once saw him get mad or heard him raise his voice, and his laugh & smile would take over any room. On top of some of the smiles were lots of beer and drinks but whats a bachelor to do? Since he moved back to PA Hubby talked to him almost everyday, & I talked to him on occasions,but the very last time we saw him in person was the day after our wedding when everyone went back home, October 1, 2006. That made this anniversary very difficult for Hubby & I both, and I know its going to be "attached" to the celebration of our lives together from this point forward. There has been alot of tears shed in our house the last few weeks, alot of whys, and what-ifs. He had planned several trips down to meet KC and stay with us, but none of them ever panned out. Tacos funeral was 2 days after he died in Pittsburgh, and Hubby & I and 2 other friends rented a car and drove over 1000 miles & 15 hours one way to get there in time for his funeral and to say goodbye to our best friend. Its weird to even sit here & think hes actually gone, & I will never see him again in this life, he wont ever find "the One", he wont have children, we all wont grow old together & talk about the good 'ole days, and I will never see his beautiful smile again here on earth. In the last 2 years there have been alot of loved ones lost unexpectedly, a very very lot. And the saying the older you get the more people you know that die is becoming a truth, and not just a saying anymore. All this makes me appreciate my life, my health, my hubby, my son, my family, and just my heartbeat so much more. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so tell the ones that you love, that you DO everyday!

I love you & will miss you everyday Taco, Jklu, Fatboy, Pollock, Big'un....Johnny....