My memories of Byron go way back to the day we were in the same field trip group in second grade, all the sporting events where I cheered for him on the sidelines, and all the laughs we shared in our special group of friends. I feel so blessed to have been a small part of that large group, but it is nothing compared to how I feel to be a part of the Hartman family.
Trust me, it wasn't easy trying to make my way into a family of three boys, but eventually we meshed, and they even let me be the fourth player in all the board games. Dan, Byron, and Justin never let me get away with anything. A simple game of Monopoly or Scrabble could quickly become overtime of game seven. These boys taught me about competition.
All these memories I will cherish forever, but I will especially hold this summer and all of our celebrations close to my heart. Byron made so many trips up to see us this summer. We got to spend his 24th birthday together where we bough him his first martini and showed him how much fun a Frank Sinatra impersonator could be. Rick, Dan, and Byron got to play golf that weekend and when they came home I asked Byron how he played. He gave me his sheepish little grin and said, "pretty good." Dan later told me that Byron played the game of his life, that's always how Byron was. The most humble person I've ever met, but the most special.
Dan was so proud of Byron, he'd tell me everyday how great he was doing and how much fun he was having, "Just Living the Dream," as Byron would say. And we had so many plans for Byron. Dan's dream was to get Byron to come stay with us and get him a job in the city so that he could be Dan's wide receiver coach... and of course, their athletic trainer, and I wanted Byron to find a nice girl to bring home so that Dan, Byron, and Justin would have someone else to tease and make fun of.
So we are going to take these plans and live for Byron. We are going to take him with us every day and I know that because he's with us, we'll be stronger.
