Happy Birthday, Ryan

I first wrote about Ryan a year ago today in this birthday post.

And last night I interviewed Ryan over the telephone. It's always fun to talk to him and made me realize I don't do it nearly enough. Here's how the interview went.

You're going to be 19 tomorrow. Are you excited about that? Ehhhhh, you know, it's not really much of an age - not like maybe 18 or 21.

Do you have any special plans for your birthday? Ummmmm, no. I went to a concert last night in Des Moines with a couple of friends from here. That was kind of a birthday present to myself. I saw Big Sean. It was pretty fun and worth the drive. And then tomorrow some of my old friends from high school are coming to see me in Omaha.

You're #2 among our twenty grandchildren. How do you like being part of such a large family? Oh yeah, I love it! I'd much rather be part of a large family than a small family.

I know that you like and get along well with everybody in our big family but do you have any cousins or other family members that you feel especially close to? Ummm, I definitely feel a special bond with Uncle Dan and Uncle Dave. I look up to them the most because of the unbelieveable amount of respect I have for them.

But I probably feel closest to Amber because we're the oldest and we've been around each a lot ever since we were little.

Oh yes and Aunt Amy - she's always picking on me (well, we pick on each other).

Your life recently changed dramatically when you went off to college. First of all how do you like living away from home?

I like the part about being responsible for myself but I miss Mom and Marcus and everybody. I'm glad I'm close enough to go home and visit fairly often

How do you like living in a dorm and how many roommates do you have? Well I have my own room and my own bathroom but me and three other guys share a living room and kitchen. It's very contemporary - coed but not roommate coed.

What are your favorite subjects? Political Science and Sports Officiating

And your least favorite? Algebra. Ugh!

You've played a lot of baseball in the last few years. What were your favorite moments? Definitely my last two games. They were the hardest I've ever played and the hardest to handle emotionally.

Why? They were everything baseball should be - failure and success. We were favored to win and we were in the driver's seat but we just fell short. Just getting to that point, though, was awesome.

Any chance you'll try out for college baseball next year? I might but I'd have to think about what it would mean time wise. If I did make the team, I would never not do it!

Are you currently single or with someone right now? Single

Really? It seems like I see pictures of you with girls all the time. Well, you know, I try to be friendly like that.

Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? No, I thought I'd wait a semester to see how things went and then I could look around at what's out there too.

Is college social life very different from high school social life? Oh yeah, it's way different because you're not around the same people all the time. There's just so many people. It's like you're walking around strangers all the time but they're your classmates.

And do you find it challenging to keep up with your studies AND your social life at the same time? Not at all. Because I only have to go to school every day from 11:30 to 2:15 then I can study before or after and I have pretty much the whole afternoon for myself.

Are you disciplined about getting to bed on time ? Oh yeah I get plenty of sleep.

Finally, what can you tell us about yourself that I've failed to ask about? Ummmm, I'd say you know me just as well as anybody else. I'm pretty much just ready to keep moving forward in my life. For recreation I play Madden 12, go to the weight room, and play basketball. But most of the time during the week everybody is studying. I have a lot of neighbors and if the door is open people just come in - we're all neighbors, friends.

Well, there are a couple of things we didn't cover about Ryan. For one, he's a hard worker - just like his uncles. And this picture of him after work this summer sure reminds me of his uncles' pictures after they came home from their summer jobs.

And he really does love being part of the hustle and bustle of such a big family. He always finds time for the little ones.

As well as his best video game buddy, Grant.

He's a wonderful grandson - courteous, kind, respectful, loving, responsible, and a lot of fun. So Ryan, here's wishing you the best birthday so far and that they just keep getting better and better!