Today kind of snuck up on me. I had my week scheduled out and then Chris reminded me of what anniversary occurred on March 21st and I must admit I took a deep breath. It is the 5 year anniversary of the death of Chris’ brother, Carlton. How on earth is it 5 years already? Some days it seems like yesterday and some days it seems like 25 years since I gave him a hug. But today, of all days, I especially remember this guy who made such an impact on me.

I wrote so many posts over the years about Carlton and there were endless Carlton stories. I lived with Carlton for about 7 months after his dad died and before he went to live with his sister. It was a growing time for me and while I adored Carlton if I am honest there were times he exasperated me. Life was never dull, trust me. There was the time I found a pepperoni in the bottom of the washing machine from when he hid treats in his pockets and I missed it before laundry was done. There was the late night singing and shenanigans. Then there were the love notes that I found in the mornings and all was forgotten. Of course it was.

Chris’ sister Colleen had the primary role in taking care of him but we did try to get him to visit with us for a couple of weeks if we could. Those times were jam packed with activities and while I loved it, the lead up and the return to his routine were probably pretty difficult for Colleen and Bryan .

We took him to Minneapolis one year and did all the things that we thought he would love. Trip to Mall of America, the zoo, staying in a fun hotel and having lots of yummy food. I remember that he was upset because his routine of having a hot dog, soda and cookie at 10 pm was just not going to happen on that trip. He survived but it was touch and go until we could find the Hallmark Channel on the tv for him to watch.

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He always loved animals and he and Buddy had a love hate relationship. When we lived with him the cats came with us and Buddy LOVED to sneak out into the garage when Carlton would go out to get soda or putter around in the garage. That bugged him so much and he devised sneakier and sneakier ways to trap Buddy inside to keep him from going out with him. It was kind of comical until Buddy got stuck in a bedroom repeatedly night after night.

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It’s funny how many of my memories include Carlton and Carlton stories. It was not always easy for him especially in his last years when his Alzheimer’s and mental illness became more and more prevalent but he had so many people who loved him and looked forward to seeing him. While his death was sad, and still makes me sad, I know that he no longer is stuck in a body that fails him. He brought so much joy to so many over his lifetime of 49 years and I am grateful for every moment I was able to be with him.

When you marry into a family you marry the entire family and Carlton was definitely one of the brightest parts of becoming a Chiles. Anyone who experienced Carlton was a better person because they had met him. Today Chris and I will visit his favorite restaurant, Applebee’s, and feast on mozzarella sticks and maybe chicken tenders to remember him and share those special Carlton stories that are still imprinting on our hearts. Here’s to you, Carlton. You are so missed.