Erik never met a hamburger he didn't like.

Erik is a foodie. Mealtime -- is it! Eating -- serious business. Especially if it involves a hamburger, soda and fries.

So many times I've heard Erik emit little noises of delight while eating. This was very nice particularly if I happened to be the chef. Sometimes he'd stop eating just long enough to look up and say quietly, "Is good". Then, back to eating.

We never knew where he put all the food. He rarely left any on his plate. The photo above was at Fat Daddy's in Coppell. (their burgers are good!)

The picture below isn't a hamburger, it's at Subway, another of his favorite places...BUT look at that face. He's enjoying life.

This one below is at Chili's in Brownwood TX, near his group home. His eyes are saying: Liz just let me eat. I know that's true because when Mike and I were engaged we took Erik out one day for lunch. Mike really wanted to chat with Erik, get to know him better. Erik was trying to eat his wonderful lunch (chicken fried steak) and he got a little frustrated with Mike and finally said these now famous words: "Mike... eat now, talk later."

This one below is my favorite, taken on his birthday in 2006, at Fuddruckers in Irving, TX.  THIS is happiness.

These pictures are so fun to look back on but they remind me of the last time we took Erik out for a burger, 2 months ago; it didn't go so well. He didn't have his usual eating gusto and it seemed like he didn't feel well but he couldn't tell us what was the problem. As I said before, he's having such a hard time getting sentences out now. So we were just left with trying to guess what he needed. We worked it out, but as when all of us age, things change. Erik's needs are changing and we'll adjust to help him as best we can.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him...Psalm 62:5