from the beginning

There's always a beginning.  To a story, a project...

Here's my beginning. 
I am one of 2 children, I am the protective older sibling.  My brother being about 2 yrs younger than me. 
My mother is from a small town in Kansas, a large family being 1 of 8, the second oldest.  Her mother died when she was 16... it was a tragic event in the childrens lives for more than one reason; although the true story varies.  It's always difficult when you lose a parent.  Her father 'remarried' soon after, Mom always remained in church and after she graduated high school she moved to Minnesota with friends from Kansas.  Only recently did I find out that the reason they chose Minnesota was because they heard that a temp employee could make more money while they went to college up there.  So, she ventured out, seeing her first escalator --that's all I know about that, or about all.
During that time she meets my father, a full blood Swede, the youngest of 2 children.  The oldest being a sister.  He is in the AirForce this is during the Vietnam War.  The meet, get married in December of 64.... I am born on Mothers Day of 65, one day shy of my fathers birthday....we lived in Rapid City, SD.  We soon moved to Rockford, IL;  Mom and I lived with my dads mother while he was stationed overseas.  He was an air rescue pilot... flew helicopters in and rescued soliders.  We stayed in Rockford until dad was stationed to Wichita, KS then we  moved there, which is where my younger brother was born in the fall of 67.  Dad raced cars and worked at a gas station when he wasn't performing his military duties.    To this day the smell of exhaust of race cars and the sound of the engines gets me giddy.  Snowmobiles do the same thing for me, dad had one later in our life. 
Eventually Dad had to take an honorable discharge to go take care of his mother who was very sick with cancer... 
We lived in this 2 story house, it was white with red trim.  The next door neighbors, Dorothy and Bruce...she had beautiful red hair, he reminded me a bit of Fred from I Love Lucy but not so loud.  She would give us milk with an ice cube in it.    Grandma Soderboom died... we moved into a new house and a neighborhood with families much more our age.
The family across the street ended up being a couple that my dad knew in school.  They had 2 daughters, one my age, one my brothers.
The family next door a wonderful couple with 2 children younger than me.  Lana kept an eye out for us often... Jerry worked at a car manufacturing plant, and drove a gold car and a corvette.... the things we remember.  She made the best chocolate chip cookies...
So, I started school there, I was intimidated by my teacher(s), I remember being quiet, but I think that was just in my head; after seeing report cards with notes from the teachers. 
Until 3rd grade, I wasn't afraid of my teacher, I liked her, she was pretty and young and kind.  But it was also in 3rd grade that my life changed forever.....
I woke up one morning and my mom wasn't there, I asked my dad where she was and he told me that Deb (my best friend from across the street, whose parents went to school with my dad) had lost her mom, she had died of cancer.   I recall going to my window and looking at Debs which was directly across from mine and being so sad for my friend.    That was about August of 73 (if I am remember right).
Dad drank, quite a bit.  I remember his behavior after drinking.  But he was never mean, or cruel.  We did things as a family, snowmobiling, camping, the 'club'... I suppose we were the All-American family.  We had 2 cars, a camper he had a motorcycle.... life was good it was normal.  We spent all of the holidays with his moms family, because his fathers side was pretty much gone.  His sister was in Wisconsin, his dad died before I was born, he had an aunt but I believe she was out east for most of his life so I guess they were all that close.
Then in September of 73, my mom woke me up one morning with my godfather Nick standing beside her, her eyes where red and they told my brother and I that our dad wouldn't be coming home again.  There'd been an accident.....
Our lives changed at that moment and would never again be the same-