Christopher

Today marks my brother Chris' 53rd birthday had he lived beyond the age of 33. He was a tour de force-someone who embraced life and skated on the edge. He spent his life looking for new adventures, which took him to Puerto Rico where he helped open a Chart House there. In my early years of dating Alan, we took a trip down there to experience life on an island that he so embraced. It is a life with no rules and carefree attitudes-everything is accomplished manana (tomorrow). Life is one big party. This is where Chris met his wife Terri, who's family lived there from the states to publish a magazine and avoid some stateside taxes. It's hard not to fall in love with Chris. He had an incredible wit, a keen sense of street smarts, and a loving heart.
We spent our week eating great food, drinking copious amount of alcohol (we were actually thrown out of the Bacardi factory, which is difficult to accomplish), and visiting the rain forest and beaches. We stayed in Chris' typical San Juan home, where everything is stone and marble. Housecleaning, which didn't happen often, required us to step outside while his room mates hosed the house down with water. When we finally extracted ourselves from the island life, we barely made the flight with enormous hangovers and alot of great memories.
Chris was a force to be reckoned with-he lived life largely. My brother's shared a memorable story of Chris challenging an ex-military guy to a foot race, where he showed up that morning in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. Barefoot. Chris won that race and was awarded with the man's combat boots, which he promptly put on to accessorize his ensemble.
I see his lust for life in my son. He has the same humor, yet a little more subdued in his pursuits of a good time. Which I am grateful for. They both have an incredible talent for writing, which Chris utilized as a restaurant reviewer. We miss you every day and that void will never be filled. But oh how fortunate we were to have you in our lives for that short time!!