Years go by very quickly. It is hard to realize that Kate has already been in the world for 3 years. She is currently a travel nurse and has also worked at Mercy. I thought there might have been a seismic shift, you know maybe a simple Richter scale measuring 5.4 when Kate entered the world. She is pure energy, pure laughter, pure noise. Certainly the world noticed? Kate is one of those lucky kids who went through the randomness of high school by always being in my class or on my team. I coached Kate in both JV basketball and JV softball. She was and will always be Kate -- a true force of nature. When I think of Kate I always laugh, smile, and kind of duck. You never know what is coming.
One of the best Biloxi nicknames ever. Blampf!! kind of as a cartoon noise effect. She charges into the scene like a super hero. She has many special powers, and most of them have to do with the creation of noise and mayhem. Hayley Kuehner and I laugh at least 3 times on every Biloxi trip, just the way Kate would say the name of the neighboring town, D'Iberville.
Back in the midst of my Nerinx days, I was in charge of both the pep squad and the dance team (not a lie). We rented a bus to go to Ursuline for the Volleyball games. I did my best to amp up the spirit of freshmen and sophomores on the way there. They were crazy, and had a great time. Upon returning to Nerinx, they asked if they could rent a bus for the basketball game. I told them that the basketball game was only 400 yards away, and a bus was too expensive. I told them I would build them a bus instead.
So now I had to follow through, I went to Home Depot and bought a lot of furring strips, I think they are 1" x 3" . I had sketched out a rough design on a sheet of quad paper, and finally did not buy all the wood I needed as there was a lot and I thought it might get dropped on a toe. But we set upon building a 8' x 8' x 32' bus complete with working stop sign. It was just a wooden frame and then we were going to put paper around it. I had a loyal group of young ones who were going to stay after school and help me finish the construction. It was not sturdy, as I had forgotten diagonal supports which are needed for squares. Just then school was let go because of an incoming ice storm. The students showed up to help, but I had to tell them all to go home, and I was trying to finish this bus by myself. I was really feeling sorry for myself when I got the worst phone call of my life. My best friend, Phil, had died.
I remember going to a restaurant fund raiser in Webster and sobbing. I do not really remember finishing the bus. Of course, Tim and Terri Gaffney showed up and probably finished the bust themselves. But the bus was ready to go the next day.
We picked up this giant wooden constuction and marched award the Nerinx gymnasium to the tune of Double Dutch Bus. We stopped at each class and more people "got on" the bus. So now we had 50 people walking in the bus, while it was being held up by the people on the outside.
Sorry long story, but we are getting back to Kate. After school, we picked up the bus and started carrying it and walking towards the Webster U. gymnasium. The weather had continued from the day before and none of us were prepared for the biting cold. The students marched it out the back parking lot and on to Garden Avenue. Kate and her sophomore basketball teammates were the leaders of this group and proudly carried the front of the bus while slowly walking up Garden through the biting cold. The first car that showed up behind "Our Bus" did not pass us, so by the time we got to Webster the bus was leading a parade of about 13 cars. Kate was loud and singing songs and cheering cheers. About halfway up Garden, the bus started to break apart and Kate and her Alpha girl group was now carrying only the "front grill" of the bus. And they kept getting ahead, because it was a lot easier to walk with that piece, then the couple hundred pounds of bus behind them. I wish I could find the picture of that front group. They reminded me a little bit of Mayor Daley and the Chicago machine walking in the front of an Irish parade.
I just paged up and realized how long this story is, as the Ugandans would now say, members I will now be very brief. (don't believe them). Kate and her mom were part of one of the most fun groups we ever had go to Biloxi, I think it was John Kuehner's first year and first casino incident. Something about a man with a small hat. Mrs. Sellenriek is a saint as she puts up with Kate's hijinks and also sometimes throws water on the grease fire, making a true Blampf !! event.
We accomplished so much that trip with a giant group of people, and I am still laughing today about Kate and D'Iberville. Kate gave me a week later a cover of a magazine where it showed Muppets doing construction. She named each muppet character after someone. She, of course, was animal on a chain, Her mom was Miss Piggy, and Mr. Magee was Sweetums. It sits in the opening between my kitchen and living room.
I wonder if anyone has made me laugh as much as Kate in my life. Phil would be close and long time friends like Frank would definitely be there, but every time I think of Kate I smile. Kate told me this morning that she loves working with old people. And I cannot think of a better place for her nursing talents and her Blampf! skills. She is helping people who are sick and in pain, and must walk into their rooms with such energy and happiness. If Kate would have been my mom's nurse, my mom would have loved her. I am so proud of Kate and so happy I am having these breakfasts to bring these wonderful people back into my life.
BLAMPF !!
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