1. He earned a 1st Degree Blackbelt as a teenager
2. He played the violin and piano
3. He spoke Spanish and German
4. He liked magic tricks, puzzles and the Rubik's cube
5. He played baseball and was on a bowling league for 10+ seasons
6. He once shot an arrow through a grasshopper into a target
7. He made retractable pens from wood & resin blanks on a lathe in high school
8. He accidentally kicked out Ceci's 2 front teeth
9. He loved horchata
10. He made me a cutting board, wood tongs, a cherry oak box and even built me a wooden clock

When Ryan was about 4 or 5, we were having breakfast at Perkins in Old Town. He was talking about all kinds of different dinosaurs and telling us what they like to eat and such. A couple sitting next to us overheard him and as they were leaving they asked his age and commented that he had a great vocabulary. As they walked away, Ryan leaned over to me and asked 'Mama, what's a vocabulary?'

Ryan was 9 and had been playing baseball for a few years. He enjoyed going to Rockie's games. At one game, I noticed that he was having a conversation about the game with a gentleman sitting behind us. You bet I was listening to make sure everything was ok and it was. The guy came over to me and told me that he really enjoyed his chat with Ryan and was impressed with his knowledge of the game. He then gave me his business card and told me that he was the kitchen manager at Famous Dave's near the E470/I25 exit and that I was welcome to bring my whole family for dinner there, his treat.