Toyota Camry

Memory by Matt

So, back when I was just graduated from Highschool, Mason and I were riding in Mom's Camry. We were driving behind a Fry's Grocery store and I decided to let Mason try driving. Well, he got in the drivers seat and off we went. Mason started picking up speed...probably 40 mph. Thats pretty fast behind the building. Its not like it is a long straight flat road or something. Well, I could see in front of us that the asphalt area had a huge dip. Like a 4 foot drop within a steep slope. Before I could tell Mason to slow down, we went airborne. We probably "...got like 3 foot of air! (For all you Napolean Dynamite fans, thats was quote from the movie). Maybe not, but all I remember was coming down so hard that I thought the front shocks were going to shoot up through the engine hood. We both started bustin up laughing. Needless to say we abruptly stopped and I took over. Fortunately, the car wasn't damaged, but we swore to not say a word. I think he told mom since then, but not for a while. The good times!

Later Bro!

Brothers' Keeper

I have always felt some kind of special connection with Mason. I reflect back to a time when Mason and I shared a set of bunk beds in our room. Mason slept on the bottom bed and I was on the top bed. Some nights Mason would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. He would climb up on the top bunk and wake me up to ask if he could sleep next to me. I was never annoyed of his request, in fact I felt honored to protect him and help him fall back a sleep. There have been other times in our younger growing up years that I felt a need to watch out for him. I feel I am my brothers' keeper. I feel the same way with my other brothers and sister. I will do all I can to protect and keep them.

I love my family.

Pizza Pizza

For Thanksgiving Krystal and Grandma Polly came to visit and enjoy the holiday with us here in New Mexico. We had a great time, a ton of food, and lots of naps...well, atleast I know I did. :) Anyways, while they were here, we wanted pizza one night. So, we ordered Dominos and of course it was way too much. Alice shared an experience that she and I had with Mason and Mandy just days before Mason's accident. Mandy had come over to cut Alice's hair and we were all feeling a bit famished. So, we decided to order some Dominos Pizza. They had a special of buy 5 medium pizzas and get them for $5.00 each. So, I did just that. Alice didn't know I had ordered so many until Mason and I returned home with all 5 of them. I didn't realize that there was alot of pizza until we started stuffing our faces. But, I was confident we wouldn't have an excess...Mason was there. I don't know where that kid could put it, but I think we polished off all of the pizzas. Maybe there were a few slices left, but by in large, we ate all of them.

That was the last time I was actually with Mason. That memory will always remain and everytime I eat Dominos Pizza, I will eat a few extra for my bro.

Basketball

A few months before I left to serve a mission, Mason and I would jog from our home in Mesa to Poston Jr. High. Every Tuesday evening neighborhood men would be there to play basketball on the courts outside. One night particularly Mason and I were selected to be on the same team. He and I both must have been feeling on fire that night. Every basket we shot, we made. I would shoot from the outside line and he would drive, left-handed, I might add, through these grown men and lay it up for a goal. These men commented on my shooting ability, but even more so on Mason's ability to drive left-handed through men twice his size and successfully make a basket. I was proud of him that day, and proud to be his brother.

Mason continued to finesse his basketball skills as he matured. I had played ball with him on a few more occasions after the mission. I would have liked to play ball with him more often. From what I understood, he liked to get into peoples minds by way of verbal conversations when he played. Some of you may know what I am talking about! Crazy kid! Nonetheless, he loved basketball.

Remember

It has been 3+ years now since Mason's accident. I remember that day so vividly. I find myself now wondering if I am forgetting my feelings that day and days following. I have a lot of great memories to share on this blog and I am glad it is here for us. I have caught myself recently wondering if I am forgetting him. Our lives go on. We have our own daily issues. But deep down inside I know that nothing here matters...atleast monitarily and physically. After Alice's dad passed away, I had a flashback of Mason's passing and realized that life is too short. Alice had a great idea to start a blog for her dad's rememberance. The other day she asked me if I thought a blog for Mason would be a good idea. I was impressed that she has probably been thinking about my brother more than myself. This blog will be a great way for me not to forget. I hope all of you share in this opportunity to share what you haven't forgotten so that each of us can remember him in ways we never knew him.

Mason loved to play soccer

When Mason was about 9 or 10 years old he loved to play soccer. When we lived on Linda Lane, Mason would spend hours dribbling a soccer ball back and forth in the back yard. He became very quick in his movements. He was also very talented in bouncing the ball off his knees and head.
When he went to Junior High they did not have a soccer team so he decided to play basketball.

My First Impression

When I first met Mason, I remember playing sand volleyball with him and some of his friends. He commented with Matt on how muscular my legs were. I also remember how he had so many girls swarming around him as he seemed to be the leader of his pack. He wasn't one bit unsure of his kingdom...he knew he was "The Man!" He had a charisma about him that did make me smile and like him instantly.

I also remember everyone saying how much he looked like Matt Damon. I agreed after watching some of Matt Damon's younger movies. We found a picture to compare with Mason, so see for yourself. Who's Who?

Memory of Mason

Here we are making memories. We wanted to start a blog to have somewhere to share our memories for all to read and remember. Please join us in remembering Mason.