Adventures, Sarcasm, Dead Animals, and A Bunch of Fish: Team Riley Ice Fishing Derby

So I thought of my good old blog today at a random time: so I went to get my oil changed at my family mechanics (one of my dad's good friends) and noticed that he was wearing this wonderful blue bracelet that I happen to hold dear to my heart. It reads "Living the Life of Riley"- my dad and I sold it to him well over a year ago, and he was still wearing it. Then I thought, oh gosh I never blogged about the ice fishing derby! Duhh. So first off, who is Riley for those of you that don't know. My cousin Riley is a caring, loving, beautiful, fun 7 year old in 2011 (which, as far as I'm concerned, he is still all of those things!). Everything was normal. I was starting my first semester at URI and three days into a new school and new place, I got a phone call from my grim sounding father on a Wednesday. You know when a tragedy happens and you remember every detail of what was happening around you when it happened or when you heard about it? Yeah, that was this night. My dad reluctantly told me "Moll, your cousin Riley has a brain tumor". I didn't really know what to do other than cry. A brain tumor? He's 7! 7 year- olds are not supposed to get brain tumors! And he was a fine, normal kid! Nothing was wrong with him! I was so scared for him, for my family. That Friday, he went to Boston Children's Hospital to get surgery to see just what was up with this tumor. I arrived at the hospital that Friday night to find my family devastated- Riley had brain cancer. I remember Riley that night, after getting a horrifying surgery for even the bravest of adults, woke up with a smile and said
"Hi Molly, and is anyone else coming to see me?" The hospital time continued for Riley all the way thru Christmas, when he was finally allowed to come home for a month. He was still so cheerful after undergoing painful chemo and radiation treatment. His mother, grandparents, and aunts threw great family parties to so we could spend time with Riley, and his mom even threw a fantastic birthday party for him (he turned 8), even with a surprise visit from Rob Ninkovich from the Patriots (who has become a pretty close friend to Riley's mom and grandparents!). He went back to Boston after some time home and continued his treatment. Our visits continued to Boston- you know I really love someone if I drive through Boston for them, because this girl does not do cities- and Riley continued to remain optimistic. In April, treatments were going extremely well, and doctors believed that he could rid himself of the tumors and possibly become cancer-free by 2013. Everyone was so hopeful. We had many scares, but we all seriously believed that wow, he was really doing so great. He was in every way a hero and a fighter: he was strong, determined, optimistic, and so wise. Towards the end of April, though, we got horrible news. His condition seriously declined in a matter of days. Riley fought so hard, but we lost him on June 9, 2012. My family has been and will be forever changed by this but the moral of the story is: we are all so blessed to have had Riley in our lives, even if it was for so short of a time. So, to rally for some funds for Riley and his mom while they were in Boston, we all sold blue bracelets reading "Living the Life of Riley". You know how people just wear those rubber bracelets all the time? Well these rubber bracelets aren't just an accessory, they are a piece of my heart. See, Riley, in his 8 years of life, had it all figured out. He understood that life wasn't about your possessions, looks, the way you dress, where you live, any of that crap. Riley realized that life was about the relationships you have and the love you share with people. He knew to treat everyone with kindness, patience, and love. He always asked "if anyone else was coming" because he valued personal relationships and time with family and loved ones. How many of us can honestly say that we are that kind of person? I know I can't. One day when I visited, Riley hadn't eaten in 4 days! 4 days! And he wasn't freaking out or anything, he just kindly kept asking the nurses if he could have some food because he was hungry. Okay, I would have killed 20 people by then. Obviously, his mother was so strong and incredible and amazing- she instilled these values in her son in 8 short years. That is something people fail to accomplish in their lifetimes. So anyways, in Riley's legacy, my family has been attending events, Riley events, with our "Riley Superhero" banner that my uncle (Riley's grandpa) made. So that [finally, sorry for the long story!] brings me to the Metacomet Fishing Derby held January 27, 2012. Riley and his grandpa had a long history at this derby. Actually, they won a few times and made it in the newspaper for biggest trout! Riley loved this derby, as did my whole family. I spent many years of my childhood attending this derby, and I even won a few times too! So we made a team for the derby for the first year. We were determined to fish for Riley. There was a lot of heart backing this team, not just booze, snow machines, and charcoal buckets (though we did have a snow machine and charcoal bucket, and ya know a few kicks of peppermint schnapps if needed). So, at the crack of dawn as in 4AM!!! our team woke up after a massive sleepover to get geared up for the derby. At 5AM, -6 degrees outside, my dad and I were on the 4-wheeler dragging the sleds across the lake in the pitch black. Somehow, we lucked out to have a full moon so I guess it wasn't pitch black. My little cousin Maizy, Riley's cousin, was telling us about the full moon. Apparently at her school they called it the "Wolf moon" and all the little kids were scared of it (okay, if you've read the 3 little pigs as a kid, you know wolves mean business, like, they knock pigs houses down) but Maizy said that "the wolf moon is her friend, even though he followed her all the way home!". Whelp, luckily the wolf moon stayed friends with us and made our morning a lot easier! By 5:30 AM, the team was assembled and setting up camp and drilling holes by the light of the wolf. Tip ups were in the water by 6AM and we were ready to rumble. So unfortunately, our hearts were a lot bigger than our lucky horseshoes. We caught a BUNCH of small pickerel and perch, and a few trout not big enough to be worth anything. Aka, Team Riley did not win the derby. But here's the thing: we had an awesome family day. It brought all of us together outside for a day on the ice of socializing, fishing, and eating delicious charcoal bucket foods (if you haven't eaten a charcoal bucket cheeseburger at 8AM for lunch, you haven't lived). So, even though we didn't win the derby, we were still "Living the Life of Riley". My cousin Sam caught her first fish ice fishing! I learned that I am capable of ice fishing by myself because I was basically the "son my dad doesn't have" [well, my dad has a son, but he's not into freezing his ass off at 5AM on a lake dipping his hands in freezing water- brother J, I don't blame you buddy]. But, who am I kidding, I love it. I hate getting up at 6:30AM for school, but I was up at 4AM for ice fishing, ready to go. Something about being outside, smelling the fresh air, catching your own food (well, we didn't keep anything, but usually we do), observing the natural world around, and enjoying being a part of something other than the dent that is forming from your ass in the couch, just calls to me. I love it. I can't get enough of it. That is my legacy to "Live the Life of Riley"- do what makes me happy. Be with the people I love, and soak up the things that bring me joy and happiness.