Mighty Wallace Men

The Wallace men – better known as Brad, his dad, Ken, and his brother, Casey are pretty tight. Brad talks to his dad almost every day even though they live in different states, and he talks to Casey frequently, as well. The three of them enjoy spending time together whenever they can. When one of them takes on a hobby, they all seem to adopt the same interests. For example, they all went through a golfing phase and would go golfing every time they got together. That interest was pushed to the wayside when they found their true passion – fly fishing. I am not sure which of the Wallace men started their fly fishing craze, but it is one that is sure to last. I would have to say that Ken is the most passionate – dutifully discovering streams and creeks to throw in his line daily. But Brad and Casey are not far behind on the passion for fly fishing scale. Recently, Ken hinted to me about how much he, Brad, & Casey collectively had invested in fly fishing equipment. This was something I was better off not knowing about.

Almost 2 years ago, Casey lived with us for a time while his family moved to Utah & he was transitioning from his job in Las Vegas. During this time I noticed that Brad & Casey had their own little language which pretty much consisted of quotes from different movies that they liked over the years. Now, I’ve always known that they like to quote movies back & forth, but they actually use it as a mode of communication. For example, they would greet each other in the evenings by saying "What's up Carl?" What is that supposed to mean? - neither one of them is Carl. I have yet to figure that one out. “Dumb & Dumber” is one of their favorite movies- oh so rich with quotable lines – just to give you an idea of the type of movie I am talking about. If you know the movie at all, you may have heard of phrases like “Mary Samsonite” and “Aspen, California”. Well, Brad & Casey use such phrases in their conversations rather frequently.

I know the Wallace men certainly must have varied likes, dislikes, & opinions, but it seems to me that they have even more in common. They like the same TV shows (the Office for one – Survivorman for another). They are also fans of the same movies and baseball (as well as pretty much every other sport). A love of the great outdoors, Brad Paisley music, hamburgers from little hamburger joints after a day of fishing, tools, shooting, and Judy’s Swedish pancakes all top the list of things these guys have in common. Brad & Casey are also great lovers of an afternoon nap. If the opportunity to nap arises, they seize it enthusiastically. I have this picture in my head of a Thanksgiving not too long ago where the two of them were sacked out on Jill’s couches in the living room while everyone else in the family was hustling & bustling to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table.

Ahhh . . . just look at Casey sleeping like a baby with his teddy bear (oops- I mean hatchet!). This is fairly typical of a Wallace guy - they just love guy things. Brad gave Ken a hatchet once and it is rumored that he took it to bed with him for weeks. I am not sure why Casey fell asleep with the hatchet, but my camera was handy & who could resist such a picture?

Brad enjoys more boy toys at Jill & David's.

Perhaps this brotherly bond comes from the two of them looking so much alike. Years ago Casey was on a family vacation with us in California. We went out to eat and the first thing our server said as she looked at the two of them was “Y’all twins?” Well, years later, that is still a favorite family quote. Twins? – sure – if twins can be born 9 years apart! They both definitely share the tendency to grow a pretty good beard just hours after shaving. Look, they even stand with their hands in their pockets alike! (Incidentally - this is the view out Ken & Judy's back yard - amazing, isn't it?!)

I guess the one thing that the Wallace men have in common that means more than looking alike or quoting lines from movies, or sports, or even fishing is their devotion to their families. These three are committed husbands and fathers (& grandfather in the case of Ken), dedicated to making a good life for their wives, children & grandchildren. This is what truly makes them Mighty Men!