In the Begining

In the beginning there was me (Tony) and my two kids (Chris and Christy) and life was good.  Then God said, "Let this man (Tony) meet this woman (Kathy) who is not crazy like the others Tony had dated after his divorce." Then He hintith to Mike (Tony's friend) "Invite Tony to be your best man at your wedding so that he may meet your new bride's friend who is engaged to a jerk." Thus saith the Lord. And it was done as God commanded.

So Tony meet Kathy and he thoughtith to himself, "Self, She be hotith! Grrrrr." So Tony pursued Kathy and she thought to herself. “ He's not badith, he has a big nose and is kinda old but what the heckith. I’ll give him a chance.” And the two were made as one.

Tony and Kathy were married on December 23rd, 1999 and stayed at the Elvis Room at a local Branson, Missouri motel and they consumed champagne in a whirlpool ...with bubbles.

They honeymooned in the great city of Mt. Carmel, IL at Tony’s brother’s house. Obviously Kathy didn’t marry Tony for his money or should it be, the lack thereof.

So now Tony and Kathy are a couple with Tony’s two kids Chris and Christy by Tony’s first wife. Then came Breonna on September 19th of 2000. They were blessed again in April of 2010 with their niece Caitlin who was a bouncing baby of five-teen years.

Can't we just stay put?

I know many people wonder why we are nomadic in our life style and this has many answers. When I meet Kathy I lived in Red Oak, Iowa and she in Waterloo, Iowa. I took a chance and moved to Waterloo to be with her. From there Kathy transfered with a promotion to the Coralville, Iowa Yonkers store where she became the Assistant Store Manager/HR Manager. 

Then she transfered to Kalispell, Montana which Tony was thrilled with because he loves the mountains. We both loved the area but both felt God calling us to Daytona Beach, Florida so we could be with dad in his final years as he battled  alzheimers. Tony actually put this off for a couple years wanting to avoid the heat and humidity he hates. God won!

What happened in Florida was not what we expected. Yes, we were able to help dad in his last years and he thanked me on every visit. Near the end of his life we pretty much had the same conversations on every visit but that's the crulity of alzheimers. But he did know who I was so that was easier for him. With the help of my sisters we were also able to help mom in her struggles.

We attended Oasis Christ Fellowship
 http://www.oasisfellowship.com/Oasis/home.html. with a great pastor and made many friends there. We also meet this large, scary looking, former biker and drug addict, tattooed guy and his pretty wife who pastored D.O.C. (Daytona Outreach Center). Through D.O.C. and Pastor Ray and his wife Susan we meet some fantastic men and women who were former homeless, drug and alcohol addicts. We also started to help feed a few men and woman who were in a discipleship program at the D.O.C. http://www.daytonaoutreachcenter.com/ We, with a few other couples from church, made home cooked meals once per month and bought it to them were we served them. Breonna and Skylar loved to serve them and usually made impromptu sermons behind the pulpit after they ate.

This was way out of my comfort zone because I had previously shunned people like this. God humbled me. We learned so much about God through people I once thought were not good for much. I guess I thought I was better than them-I was so wrong. I was the same as they were in God's eyes. They blessed us and I hope we were able to pass some blessings to them. (Editing this part was challenging because my eyes kept tearing up. Thanks Ray and Susan for your service to God because it has blessed many.)

Our marriage also grew stronger because we both grew closer to God. It goes hand in hand. If you want to improve your marriage search first for God's heart because there you may just discover your spouses heart. Put Him first and the complex puzzle called marriage starts fitting together.

On November 3rd of 2009 dad had a brain aneurysm- about thirty minutes previous I was let go at my plumbing job. It was not a good day for me. Looking back I can see how God had closed that door because dad would leave us three days later thus ending our reason for going to Florida.

I had no luck in finding a plumbing job in Florida (I was recently contacted by a plumber in Ft. Lauderdale wanting me to come on. We're not moving again so soon. I said no.) so took a chance on coming back to Iowa. Something we were not thrilled about but were running out of options. I went to a trucking school in Salt Lake City, UT taken a bus for a three day trip. All was going well until they drew my blood and said my blood sugar was too high and they were sending me home. God closed a door I never wanted opened. The thought of being away from my family weeks at a time was heart breaking just thinking about it.

God opening a door a few weeks after I got back from my truck driver adventure. I got a job doing what I've been doing for the last decade and a half-service plumber. I had talked to my office manager a few months ago and she said it was weird how on the day I called to inquire about a job is the same day she put an add in the newspaper for a plumber. She knew it wasn't listed yet but was a little perplexed at the timing. It was all in God's timing.

So here we are wondering what adventure awaits us in our future. Kathy is in college to get a BSN (Registered Nurse) When Kathy graduates college we are open to anything. What does God have in mind for us? Time will tell.

Dad

"A king, realizing his incompetence, can either delegate or abdicate his duties. A father can do neither. If only sons could see the paradox, they would understand the dilemma." -- Marlene Dietrich

Dad, born two years after the great depression, lived a long life often filled with rough roads with pot holes as large as one of the great lakes.  He took some of it in stride-and some of it with great pain and sorrow. He was not a perfect man or father. But in this life, not one exists.

But his struggles and hardships are over shadowed by his accomplishments. He had great success', often with tough grit, will power and perseverance. He was not an educated man and dropped out of high school to help his mother after his dad passed away when he was thirteen. He later proudly received his GED which was not necessary for life or work, but was necessary for his pride.

He had successful business’ and a comfortable retirement though not so much financially but in family. You see, dad’s greatest accomplishment, according to himself (and me), was his family- his kids. He didn’t need things for happiness- he just needed his family. That’s where his riches were proudly displayed on his walls and scrap books for all to see. He was so proud of each and every one of his kids whether they were biological, adopted or step. This is the biggest lesson that dad had taught me, passed on to me, and touches my heart so deeply today.

Now as a dad with four kids I can relate to the pride of your own kids. Yes, they often frustrate you and cause you emotional distress. But the overwhelming majority of the time they are blessings- gifts given from God. I understand dad’s love for us more now than as a child because I see it in my love for my children.

He always mentioned how much he loved his kids. We always knew we were loved because he told us so. He bragged on us to all to who would hear and if they didn’t want to hear it, he’d tell them anyway. His greatest struggle with Alzheimer’s was the thought of forgetting his kid’s names…or his kids. 

I miss dad. I miss his senseless humor-the conversations and the life lessons passed on by him. But mostly, I miss him because I know he loved me with an almost agape type of love and that is the greatest gift a father can pass on to his son.

Robert Augustus Wasion

BORN: June 7, 1927

DIED: November 6, 2009

LOCATION: Port Orange, FL

Christy is back!

Christy has made a long about journey back to Iowa via Arizona and Alabama. She made a short pit stop in Whitefish, Montana when we lived in Montana but that was only a few weeks. We are glad to have her back and pray that she finds good employment soon (she's now working at the University of Iowa Hospital). She had a temp job but it only lasted a month.

She’s hoping to go back to college this next semester for the Vet Tech program.  She already has many prerequisite from when she went to college previously.

She brought our grand-dog Alice who is a mix of Pit-bull and lab with her. I was not sure about a Pit coming to live with us but she is a good dog and she hasn’t eaten our other two ankle biters yet so all is well.

I now have all my kids back within two hours of each other. I’m a happy daddy!

3/29/12 An update on Christy. She is still with us but looking for an apartment for her and Alice. She is loving her job as a Nursing Aid at the University of Iowa and is contemplation going back to get her RN.