I haven’t posted anything about Scott yet. I wasn’t sure what to say. I’m still not sure. I think one of the hardest things for me has been trying to explain who Scott was to me. My parents knew we had a friend living with us. But that didn’t explain it. Roommate, friend, close friend, best friend, even part of our family didn’t really sum it up. Truth is there isn’t a word in English to describe what Scott was to me. I love Toni more than I know how to say. We fit each other in ways that I never thought was possible. She makes me better than I could ever be without her and I know she feels the same way about me. And while the relationships we each had with Scott on our own and the one the three of us had together were different than that, they were no less special, no less rare. But it’s easy to tell someone Toni is my wife. I don’t know how to tell someone Scott was really more than even just family. I’ve never had that kind of bond with anyone. I sincerely doubt I ever will again. It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. So many of my favorite memories now are times when it was just the three of us hanging out, doing stupid shit, making each other laugh til we couldn’t breathe. I wish we had more time to make more of those core memories. I’m so grateful the memorial felt right. So many people came and shared and laughed and cried. It felt like the type of thing Scott would have wanted and I’m so thankful to Phil, Vespe, Mal, Marissa and so many others for jumping in with both feet to make it all happen. We couldn’t have done it without them. But now that we’re on the other side, we have to start a new chapter of our lives in a Wampler-less world. I don’t know how to do that. It sucks and it hurts so much. His absence is overwhelming, overpowering and the house feels so small and quiet without him. I told Scott I loved him, not every day, but often. But I couldn’t and can’t put in to words how much I loved him and how much he meant to me. I’ll miss him forever.
This is Ripley Leeloo Dallas Multipass. Long ago and far away, Brian, Toni, and I went up to a ranch in Waco to see Scott Beggs get married. There were 4-5 dogs that belonged to the ranch owners and then this other dog, a little skittish but very friendly who loved to flop over in front of folks and ask for pets on her belly. Some of the wedding guests even nicknamed her Belly Rub. The owners said someone had dropped her out there a couple days before the wedding and they couldn’t take care of another dog so they would have to take her to a shelter on Monday. Brian fell in love and said we were going to take her home the next day. We were all pretty hammered at the time and I didn’t think much of it. When we got up the next morning Toni and I assumed we’d just be going home, but Brian was serious and spent the better part of an hour looking all over the ranch before he found her. She was terrified and wouldn’t get in the back of the car, so Brian held her in the front seat all the way home. We named her Ripley because she was a survivor like Ripley from Alien. And Leeloo Dallas Multipass because Toni loves Fifth Element and it was funny. She eventually got less scared of things, figured out how to walk on a leash, and settled in to life with us and Slevin. She was smart and sweet and had a ton of energy. One time we got her one of those Kong toys that screws together for Christmas. It took her about 10 minutes to somehow unscrew the damn thing. No idea how she did that. We loved her more than words can say. But she’d been slowing down and starting to struggle recently and we realized it was her time to go. So yesterday we said goodbye. We’ll miss her so much and love her forever ♥️
