MY STORY

On January 20th 2010 I departed for my Colorado adventure. Final destination is Telluride, CO. My previous employer closed our Boston office on October 31, 2009 and this seemed to be the most opportune time to do something different. My inspirations are two things really. They are both movies. First is "Into the Wild", a movie about a person who leaves his life behind to pursue a life in the Alaskan wilderness and along the way he meets people that shape his life. The second movie is "The Bucket List", a movie about two terminally ill men who escape a cancer ward with a wish list of to-do's before they die. The #1 item on the wish list is "Witness something truly majestic". My adventures are not exactly similar to these movies, but underlying themes and life changing perspectives are. As far as the location, I thank my sister for that. She lived in the beautiful & remote town of Telluride for five years and met Paul there. Their 1997 wedding was in Telluride (Trout Lake). Telluride is nestled in the dramatic Rocky Mountains of Southwest Colorado.

BLOG 101

If you are new to blogs so am I. Here is an intro. The home page http://mycoloradoadventure.blogspot.com/ has all the posts (the write ups) in order and they work so that most recent is at top of the order. i.e. Day 1, my first post/write-up, is on the bottom page of all the posts/write-ups. On the left side of the blog site there is a "Blog Archive" section where you can navigate to pick and choose year, month and then specific daily posts/write-ups. I wanted to share this in the event you are new to blogs.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Day 66 - 3/26/10 - Kidder Quinn Brady





















"We are pleased to announce the arrival of our daughter Kidder Quinn Brady who entered our lives on Friday March 26th at 7:52 AM. She was 7 pounds 12 ounces and we could not be happier. Jen is feeling great, as is Kidder. Love, Mike, Jen and Kidder" - Mike Brady, father extraordinaire

Today is Friday March 26th 2010. At 7:52am baby Kidder Quinn Brady was brought into the world. Mike, Jen and now Kidder are great friends of mine from sunny Cape Elizabeth, ME. Kidder was a name from Jen's side of the family. Her picture and the new Brady family are above. Being so far away it has been difficult to miss some key events. I have been kept in the loop through some emails, but I need ways to feel closer to home. So I decided to conduct an interview. My Colorado Adventure (MCA) Publications sought after the father of the moment by phone. I was able to reach him in his Boston office of Moody Lynn & Co. He demanded the call be in the afternoon after 4pm EST when then market was closed. I obliged.

THE INTERVIEW

MCA - Mike answer these questions now or you will never make the MCA blog.
Mike - Who is this? What did you do with my daughter? Sorry. Let's talk. Fine by me. Your blog is horrible, but Jen and I like you, so go ahead.
MCA - When did you and Jen first meet?
Mike - We love your blog by the way, especially the videos. Jen and I met in 4th grade. We roller skated together at Happy Wheels, I “shot the duck” and then asked her to kiss me in the corner but the building was an oval so we never found one.
MCA - Hmm. I could never draw an oval. So you are elementary school sweethearts?
Mike - Yes. Romance was a big part of 4th grade. I used to call her and hang up on her. I still do from time to time actually.
MCA - If that's not love, I don't know what is. So you dated through high school, each of you great athletes and lucky Jen never really knew me or she probably would have dated me, correct?
Mike - Truthfully, Jen was the better athlete having dominated the freestyle, butterfly and IM ( I mean fast) in the pool. It really is my passion for the arts that won her over, I can play “Every Breath you Take” on the bass guitar and it sounds different every time. But back to you, you are bowlegged and even though you excelled in the classroom and in athletics, people could not get past the legs.
MCA - Alrighty then. Little personal there, but to each his own. So tell me about life after Cape Elizabeth High School...you know when you and my brother left, I became a senior and my soccer team went 18-0 with a dominating 5-1 victory in the state championship?
Mike – Touche Nicky. Touche. I am not haunted by that at all....having lost my senior year in OT during 1991's Perfect Storm to Lewiston with ½ the team serving suspension. Seriously, it's not a bitter pill to swallow. Anyway, I went to UNH to play soccer and become a 4.0 student (accomplished one of those) and Jen went to Union in NY. We dated through college and I used to make the trip West and she East. One time we communicated poorly and we passed each other on the Mass Pike going in opposite directions.
MCA - With gas prices today, a miscue like that could be costly. And the day you tied the knot?
Mike - I was very nervous that day because I was convinced someone was going to tell Jen how much better she could do than me. As luck would have it, it rained that day so there was low voter turnout which greatly benefited me. People think the Louisiana Purchase was a one sided deal, well I think I rivaled it.
MCA - That deal gave us Bourbon St. Thank God. So tell me about Kidder. Is she really yours?
Mike - Does anyone really belong to anyone else outside of the Asian sex industry? What was your question again? Oh yeah, according to the blood test Kidder is mine though shewill clearly lean more to my beautiful wife Jen's family appearance.
MCA - Your brother Sean and his wife Megan have 1 year old baby Lila. Clearly Sean is upset that Kidder is taking the spot light now?
Mike - Well no, Lila has very fair skin, so it benefits her to avoid light. Sean has always been jealous of me, but after my year with Lila (my goddaughter) no one can steal the stage from her. Though Kidder will try, we'll call it a draw.
MCA - I understand. Sean was jealous when I lived with him at Magazine Street (Cambridge) and used to beat him in NASCAR (playstation) as the driver Ricky Jones. Ricky Jones is a legend in Cambridge. And how are the grandparents receiving little Kidder?
Mike – The Brady's and the Kokx's could not be more pleased about the new additions to our families. Lila is our little Redheaded wonder and Kidder, well she is a miracle herself. Not sure of the hair color yet. Jens parents, with their first grandchild, are already spoiling her. Both Sue (Kokx) and my mom have been living with us since she arrived. Them being happy would be an understatement.
MCA - Well Mike. Thanks for your time. I feel closer to home now. It was great to rekindle all those great memories and know that Kidder will be loved by so many. If she ever wants to be a good athlete, you know where to bring her to. Please send Jen my love.

END OF INTERVIEW

I hung up the phone and thought about so many things. Mike's family was first. They are some of the nicest people to be around. Too many stories to capture herein, but I still have a letter his parents wrote to me when I ventured off to college in 1993. That says enough about their character. Mike's brother Sean was my roommate in Cambridge, MA for "two beautiful years" as Sean would recently say. In a very difficult time for the Brady family, we tried our best to have a good time. Sean will always be a brother to me. Jen's family had my respect because they lived on the better side of Cape Elizabeth...where my family lived. We had the Cookie Jar (pastries), Fort Williams (beautiful ocean side park) and the baseball and softball little league park. Clearly the places to be when growing up. Her parents are kind and considerate and it shows in both Jen and her sister Mandy. They are great people.

A happy day of birth to baby Kidder. I am sure everyone in the Brady and Kokx families are more than thrilled. To Mike and Jen, you define what lasting love is and now you will share that with a baby of your own. You have always been good friends to me. Kidder will be your focus now, but I hope we will always stay in close contact.

I hope everyone is well and good night from Telluride.

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