Interesting discussions ...

We just spent a couple days with Teri's children (which I probably shared in a previous post -- oh, yes, about the taxi service!) It seems that the most fun times are just sitting and talking and watching the girls responses (Rudy is still a little young to be in the 'older' conversations) to tales of when we were young -- especially when Bob was young.

It seems that Regan who is 13 has a great interest in boys -- a GREAT interest and I say "boys" because she may 'like' three or four different boys in a week. (I find it interesting that the word 'dating' has such a different meaning than it did when we were kids. It is typically associated with 'I like this guy' now.) So, I thought it was time that she heard Bob's story about how many girls he 'liked' or 'dated' during his younger years. He thinks there might have been about 200 .. give or take a few. That seems foreign to me since, except for just a couple boys, I was pretty well committed to him (Bob) from the time I was about 16 years old. I'll admit that for a while prior to 'falling for him', I thought the girls who followed him around were a little crazy -- and yet, as Marley and Regan reminded me, "You married him!"

They were further intrigued (to the point of gales of laughter) to know that girls his brother dated, Bob had usually dated previously including Bill's wife, Barb. They found that highly amusing!

I thought that my life to them must have been rather boring although I have some great stories but they don't seem to compete with a papaw who girls loved to be around during those teenage years. Of course, I've told Bob that I would much prefer having a spouse who was at least interesting to people (not that I want an entourage of 'groupies' following us around) rather than someone complete boring!

Now how's this for rambling on a Friday morning -- I do need to get to work!!

Grandmom's Taxi Rides (Runs) Again

Bob and I child sat (when you have a 14 year old, it is definitely not 'babysitting') for Teri, Monday afternoon through this evening. I still wonder how in the world I raised four girls when I am worn out after two days there. Not because of the care but because of the taxi service it seems to take to get the kids to and from where they need to go and on time at that. Yesterday was one of those crazy days ... Let's see ...

Marley headed off to school with the girl next door who drives them both -- really early!!! 

Regan headed to school at 7:20am but I didn't have to take her .. so that was good, I think. Bailey was to go in a little later ...

So, off we headed around 9:30am to drop Rudy off at preschool at Beymer in Winter Haven. Headed to St. Joe's where Regan and Bailey are students.

Back home for a few minutes (it seemed) before heading back to Beymer to pick up Rudy at noon.

Home for a while (woohoo) until 2:45pm when I headed back to St. Joe's for the afternoon pickup!

We actually had a little while at home -- enough to have dinner, try to keep the house straight -- hard to do when you have book bags for three gals and a lunch box for a little guy!

Then the fun began .. Take Bailey to volleyball practice at 7:00 (but she found out when she arrived that it actually started at 6:00); go from there to Lake Region High School to drop Regan and Marley off to watch the JV Lake Region / Winter Haven game (great rivals). Rudy fell asleep on the way home and did not wake up except for a few minutes until 5:15 this morning ...

After getting him settled with Bob at the house, it was time to pick up Bailey at practice (there was an accident on the way that slowed me down a little) .. waited on her for a little while and then the phone rang that the JV game was over, could I please come on down to the high school and pick up Regan and Marley .. which I did, of course.

All in a day's work?  I'm worn out already and I was there just a little over two days!! No wonder we have our children when we are young! For sure!

Am I getting old or am I naturally scatter-brained?

And, no, I am not really looking for an answer although I am sure there are several who be happy to offer an opinion on that! I usually know where I am going, how to get there and what all I need to do along the way ... you'll notice I used the word "usually" ....

Yesterday, I needed to run a couple errands so inserted the list into my brain along with necessary directions (which I know better by instinct than by actual knowledge, it seems) and off I went ... Post Office and K-Mart -- short list, I think! However, somewhere along the line, my brain got scattered (I almost didn't use that word remembering the horrific shooting yesterday in Arizona). I parked very nicely at K-Mart, not far from the entrance actually and started in -- only to realize that I had picked up the mail sitting beside me! I guess I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and send out mail from K-Mart! I caught myself in time so no one gave me odd looks for carrying a couple envelopes and two large manilla envelopes into K-Mart.

I must pay more attention to this getting 'older' thing!!

Oh .. and an addition to yesterday's blog where I was wondering if they ever grow up and not need our help along the way -- there were a number of texts / messages that went back and forth between Teri and me -- and between two nephews in Las Vegas! I think she owes me one -- then again, probably more than one! I've been doing this for 36 years for her! 

Do they ever grow up? Or mature? Or something?

I get amused at our girls ... all of them at different times but Teri in particular today. She, Jeff and another couple are flying to Las Vegas for a couple days. Their plans have been to meet up with two of Bob's nephews who live there and she has communicated with them ... well, up until this morning. They were (are) to fly out of Orlando early this morning and somewhere along the way, I got a text asking if I could possibly connect with both Greg and Stan to see if they could meet them at a particular restaurant there. It seems she couldn't log on to Facebook this morning prior to getting on the plane.

Bob and I are heading over to Winter Haven on Monday to watch their children for two days -- no, they are not being left unattended until we get there -- two babysitters in the meantime. But, I remembered the last time we 'child sat' .. they left very early in the morning and I awoke to a short list of things she (Teri) had forgotten to do and wondered if I could take care of them. Hmmm ... I'm the mom -- I thought I made the lists! :) And a couple of the tasks were a little more complicated than dropping the kids off at school ... but, I must be a good mom because I was able to text her that the jobs I could do quickly were already done and the other one was on my schedule for the day. And yup .. it got done!

So, do they ever grow up? That's debatable .. but, I still love being a mom and somehow that instinct keeps us available to our children no matter how old they are! Did I contact the guys this morning? Of course .. and sent her a text before she got on the plane ... well, I think it was before. She didn't answer but that might be because the text was to and from Jeff's phone. Where's Teri's phone? Who knows ... she lost it again! Nope, that's not one job I will do for her .. there are some things you just have to leave to them ..

Momentary Detour!

I started to post the statuses (is that a word?) from Facebook and I will get those done but wow!! I had no idea there were so many -- I think it said I had 469 or so and since there are only 365 days in a year, I guess I probably wrote more than one on a few days!! I'm not one of those who has to post whenever I am heading to the grocery store or just checked in the fridge only to find that someone in the house ate something I was hording. Since Bob is the only other person in this house right now and our interests are somewhat different (okay, a lot different), I'm not concerned about that either. Now I'm off and rambling ....

I do enjoy reading some blogs .. not a lot but a few. Especially when I know they are truly sharing their lives and not wanting to impress friends of their great accomplishments or their kids who are more than awesome  .. I enjoy real life!! The stuff you simply can't make up and one of those I thoroughly enjoy reading is Amanda Yount's (no, she didn't pay me to say this!)  I love the mix between the craziness and joy of raising four children (close in age) with learning about the love of Jesus on a daily basis. I laughed out loud at the computer today and I think Bob thought I had gone 'batty' (that's an old term the youngsters probably have never heard before!)

Sometimes when I sit down to write, words come easily and I type them out before I even think .. and then look back and say, "Wow, did I just say that?" I know ... we really need to stop thoughts inside our brains before they come out our mouths!! It can get us into big trouble!!!

Today, my thoughts are sort of hodge-podge .. rambling .. thinking .. 

This is the beginning of a new year -- like you didn't know, right? A little pet peeve of mine is people who post things that we all know!! Oops .. brain filter not working very well today!! I need to be kind!

With a new year comes resolutions and I always have some but don't want to share them too openly for fear someone might actually hold me accountable to them. Imagine that! But I do know that "they" say if you keep up doing something for 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit! So, I guess I will be exercising every day .. resolutions, ugh! I'm stopping right there .. where is that exercise machine anyway? What a way to bring a blog post to a quick close ...

February 2010

February

It was with mixed emotions that I left Bob in Atlanta yesterday and headed to Indianapolis to work. However, I’ve talked to him several times and he is doing well!  I’m not sure I was doing very well when it took me about 2 hours to go from Murfreesboro TN to Nashville this morning!  Patience is a virtue I’m not sure I had during that time! But what other choice did I have?

Bob is out of the hospital now .. I’ll catch up with him on Monday morning when we head back to Tampa.  He is doing better but will have to monitor the heart condition fairly closely. Thanks for your prayers!

Bob is doing much better tonight – he sounds much stronger and said he had made great improvement since last night.  Thanks so much for your prayers!

Well, I’m in Indianapolis and evidently we are going to be visited by a large snow storm – or a large storm with snow – or ice pellets first and then snow! I have no idea for sure except that we are to have 5-7 inches before early Saturday morning. Ugh! Take me home!

Slow down, curve ahead – that is life right now. Bob will be having open heart surgery probably within a week or so.  The cardiologist feels this is the best course of treatment – Bob had hesitated hoping to wait a little while but agrees that it should be done now rather than wait.  Thank you for your continued prayers.

Winter fix – check!  Snow fix – check!  Getting stuck at least one time – check!!

Bob is scheduled to go to the hospital tomorrow – he thinks he will have open heart surgery on Wednesday – will post updates as often as I can!  Thanks for your prayers for a successful surgery!! The surgical team is the same one who operated on a close friend of Bob’s a year ago. He has done extremely well and told Bob he won’t believe the difference in his energy level.

Bob will be talking with the cardiovascular surgeon later on this afternoon and will know then what time the surgery will be.  Thanks for your prayers.

No word on surgery time – a waiting game!! Lots of pre-op stuff but not a definite time.

If you watched American Idol tonight and saw Ellen comment to someone about not wearing shoes – that was Kasi!

Happy Anniversary to Roxanne and Chris!

Bob’s heart surgery is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow morning.  Appreciate your prayers! He is not apprehensive – just anxious to get it done!

So blessed by our family – our four daughters, sons-in-law, grandsons and granddaughters have all talked to Bob yesterday and today!! What a blessing to have such a loving family!! My brothers, Mark and Thad and Mark’s wife, Shelley, are with him now.  Bob is not anxious about the surgery – trusting in our heavenly Father! Confirmed by the surgeon to be at 7:30 tomorrow.

Talked to Bob’s nurse in VICU, Atlanta Medical Center. He was back in that unit at 2:15pm and is stable.  Thanks for your prayers. I will be talking to his evening nurse in a couple hours and will have a further update.

Talked to Bob’s day nurse and she said he is doing well.  Sitting up in a chair (not sure if he’s been back in bed since early this morning.)  Thanks for your prayers!

Talked to Bob’s nurse this evening. He was sleeping, doing well and his nurse was expecting him to be moved out of VICU tomorrow.  So grateful that my brothers, Mark and Thad, Mark’s wife, Shelley, and my nephew, Jonathan, were able to see him today.  Tomorrow morning, Bob’s sister, Linda, and her husband, Tom, will be visiting. Susan and Tim are planning to visit as well!  We are blessed!

Bob is continuing to do well .. thank you for your prayers! He will be moved out of ICU as soon as a bed is available.

Bob is out of VICU and in a private room!  He is doing well, sounds raspy, of course, but is anxious for a good night’s sleep without all the “bells and whistles” of ICU! Thanks for your prayers!

Happy Valentines Day to a very special man to whom I’ve been married for the past 41-1/2 years! I am blessed!!

While Bob is recuperating, I am in the Pittsburg area working .. and wow, is there a lot of snow here!! Wish I could be with him but as they say, “you gotta make hay while the sun shines..”  Then again, I don’t think that’s appropriate for this time of year with all this snow .. !

Please pray for Bob tonight – he’s had a couple rough days although the doctors say this is normal. But it isn’t making him any less miserable. He needs to eat more and get some sleep!! So I guess that is my prayer request --- that he can get a good night’s sleep and eat more to gain strength!

Thank you for your prayers!  They worked!  When I called Bob this morning, he said, “I feel like a new man compared to yesterday!”  I told him I sent out a prayer request and he said before I told him what I requested, “I need sleep and I slept more than I have in a very long time.”  They are getting him up to walk today, too .. he sounded so much better and was so appreciative of your prayers!

I guess I must have had too much on my mind – went to put concealer on my eyelids and couldn’t figure out why the menthol smell – then realized I had just used chapstick!! You can’t make this crazy stuff up!!

Bob is doing better – sleeping better, eating .. continuing to improve!

Bob is doing much better – sounds like his old self (whatever that means!)  Thanks for your prayers!

Finishing up in PA tomorrow early evening and heading westward!!

Have been fortunate on this trip to central PA. .While there has been snow around, we have not had to drive in it! PTL!  Snowy roads and me – we are not a good mix for sure!! We’ll see how the last five hours go today!! Spent the night in Clarion, PA.

As Rachel and I were riding along today, we listened to “The Alpha and Omega” being sung by the Gaither Vocal Band and yes, I had the volume turned way up. Sure love that song but better pay better attention while driving and listening. Halfway through, I realized I was driving 85mph!!

Too funny – I told Bob we should get him set up on Facebook and figured I would help him .. imagine my surprise when I got a friend request from him last night! He found that very amusing!

RJ (who is almost 7) called me today and said, “I think it’s been a year since I saw you!”  He thinks I should come home soon.

From my friend, Marilyn Darnell: have sad news .. I just got a call that my sister, Dorcas, whom many of you know, was killed in a car accident tonight in Knoxville TN.  Please pray for my dad – this will be very hard on him as they were very close and he is very week.  Maybe God will choose to take him home soon also, he told me the last time I saw him that he wants to go.  Thanks for your prayers.

Okay, so I finally got hooked on Scrabble by my friend, Cheri! Bob is doing much better but we’ve got him in on the Scrabble game, too.

Had a neat experience last night – went to Cracker Barrel with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law and their husbands and ran into an old friend, Donna Pannell.  The interesting part – we both live in the Tampa Bay area so we were a long ways from home! (About 1,000 miles)  Our daughters became friends when the girls were about 10 or 1 years old and are still very close.

I am posting Dorcas Cook’s obituary in a note. Thank you for your prayers for Marilyn and her family.

Okay, y’all can laugh with me! I spent the night in Bowling Green on my way to Atlanta. I was so excited I was leaving early until I realized I was in the central time zone. I set the alarm on my cell phone which changed to that time zone. Picked up my watch and oops .. I was leaving later than I planned! Leave it to me!

The Year in Review -- January

On Facebook, there is an application that I found recently, "Year in Review" .. it had almost all of my Facebook status updates listed. I was amazed at what all occurred during the last year and in reading them, I began to take a journey of ups and downs ... I thought I would post them here but will post them by the month (perhaps one a day or so).

So, here is January -- some may not make much sense but hopefully, you can sort of follow along!

January

It is cold. I am in Atlanta and below tonight is near 20°! Okay, so I am a thin blooded Floridian now. I hear it is cold at home, too. Brr .. .

Check out my note an excerpt from a St. Pete weather bulletin I received today. I thought the northerners would get a laugh out of this one!

Love it when grandkids are so excited when Nana picks him up from school that they yell, “Mamma Mia" and as they race to the car! The teacher was quite impressed with our RJ’s excitement today.

New one for the day: Tyler asks Sandy if he could invite RJ and Kamen over tonight for a family reunion then he suggested they have a coffee party rather than a tea party since that is for girls! Then again, he said he really didn't like coffee – he'd rather have tea but you have to call it a coffee party since it's for boys!

When I hear possible snow flurries and Florida in the same sentence, something sounds very wrong!

I love what my friend, Linda Pennington, who lives near us wrote today, “I made a New Year's resolution to walk around the block everyday but it was so cold this morning I decided to drive”!

Teri was sitting at a stoplight and looked up to see white flakes coming down for a few minutes now in Winter Haven! Now there are ice pellets, too!

Here's a good one – I was playing a Wii game with nine-year-old Tyler. Two players along with two computer players .. his question, stated with some frustration and his answer to himself, ”Am I going to lose to an animatronic object? Yes, probably!”

It is still rather – well, downright cold tonight .. it is to be 31 and for us thin blooded Floridians, that’s cold!

Please pray for our friend, Stan Schwanz, who had a massive heart attack on Saturday. They inserted a defibrillator yesterday and are doing an angiogram today. I know his wife, Laura, will appreciate our prayers as well.

It is supposed to be getting warmer .. yeah!!

Cannot comprehend the devastation in Haiti! Praying!!

Worry about warmer weather seems pretty insignificant with what is going on in Haiti! What perspective!

What we moms don’t do for our kids even when they are grown! Heard again today from my 35 year old, “Mom, you’re a lifesaver again!” Fortunately, it was something relatively simple!

Praying for our son-in-law’s (Tim) great-niece, Chloe, who is having surgery in the morning to close a hole in her heart. She is just 2 lbs 14 oz. Please pray for a successful surgery.

Chloe’s surgery went very well! Thanks for your prayers.

Heard from Sandi that our Bible Quiz team did very well.. This was Ty’s first quiz and he got a silver medal! Proud of him!

Many of my relatives are anxiously awaiting 8:15pm .. wonder why? Oh, the Colts are playing! I need to keep up on these things! J I guess I won’t try to make any “sisterly” calls during that time! That would be cruel!

The third verse to Great Is Thy Faithfulness we don’t usually sing, “Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever years His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.”

My grandson, Tyler, says he’d like to play the game, “Burp-o-Rama” .. whoever drinks enough Cola and makes the longest burp wins a prize! Sounds like he’s anxious to do it!

It’s a beautiful day in Florida – typical winter day – cool, but not cold! Love these days!

I think I’ll set my DVR to record American Idol tomorrow night since it’s from Orlando auditions. Maybe I’ll recognize someone .. you never know!

Enjoyed watching Kasi on American Idol tonight – got her golden ticket to take her to Hollywood!

The Orlando interviews will be shown on AmericanIdol.com at midnight tonight, I understand. Click on a video and then golden ticket interview.

What a day – had no clue that Kasi would be mentioned in the newspaper, on the news, in blogs, etc. Lots of hard work for her but lots of fun, too. Love you, Kas!

I so enjoy staying at my “home away from home” .. with my brother, Tim, his wife, Susan, and their boys, Christopher and Jonathan. Michael is at UGA so will miss him.

Wishing my niece, Juliana, “Happy Birthday” today. It’s a little bitter / sweet .. she and my dad celebrated their birthdays together – my dad’s would have been tomorrow! Love you, Juliana, and wishing you a special day!

Bob is having surgery on his shoulder in the morning for an injury he got playing racquetball. They are repairing a torn tendon. We will appreciate your prayers!

Bob clarified this for me .. he has a severed tendon on top of the shoulder blade in the rotator cuff area. Thanks for your prayers!

Happy Birthday to my dad who is celebrating his first birthday in heaven today!! He would have been 85 today! While I cannot call him, I am remembering how very blessed I am to have had RC Boynton as a father! And what a legacy we have to pass on.

Talked to Bob this morning – no pain, has mobility – in good spirits. Thanking everyone for all your prayers!

I so appreciate the hospitality of my brother, Tim, his wife, Susan, and their boys! I truly feel like this is my home away from home!

I am so blessed by a wonderful family – great siblings – and we all get along and actually like each other and enjoy being together. With lots of laughter! And that hs carried down to our girls and their children! I am blessed!

I don’t usually do these status updates but decided to do this one: Hey everyone – It’s BROTHER/SISTER WEEK!! Change your profile pic to one of you and your siblings!! Let’s see how many people love their brothers and sisters.

So much for having a “sibling status” .. life took a little detour. Bob is in the hospital in Atlanta with a heart problem. – Some blockages. The doctor will discuss treatment in the morning although he doesn’t think surgery is necessary other than inserting stents at this point. We appreciate your prayers!

Well, the news was not necessarily good – but as Bob shared, “It is treatable”! I will try to get a better description to share when I see him this evening. Spent about 4 hours with him in ICU this morning. An awesome staff at a great hospital which is supposedly the best in cardiac care in Atlanta – extra certification, etc.

Thanks for all of your prayers! Bob has blockages but the doctor is treating with medication for the present time. Surgery will be sometime in the future but not now.

Bob is out of ICU and moving around. The mobility in his shoulder is awesome – can raise his arm above shoulder level – and can even scratch his head (if he takes it slowly – lol) . It’s been an eventful week – successful shoulder surgery followed by the discovery of a heart related issue a few days later. But, we know God is in control and that is what is most important!

Book reviews

I signed up to do book reviews for Thomas Nelson and the first book is on it's way!! Looking forward to this -- great reading with free books!!

January 2011

With the coming of Facebook, I'm afraid that this blog took a back seat for a while -- well, almost a year!! Sad, huh? But, it's been a busy, crazy year and in some ways, I am glad that it is behind us. A quadruple heart bypass surgery had a major impact on our lives! He is doing well for which we are so grateful.

We are so blessed by family and I was doubly blessed when the girls planned a surprise Christmas celebration (which was an absolutely total surprise) the Sunday before Christmas. After church that morning, Roxanne grabbed (almost literally) Bob and me and whispered to me, "Now, Mom, just go with the flow today." She looked at what I was wearing and approved it, then handed Bob a shirt and instructed him to change. I should have been aware something was happening when he simply took the shirt without any protest and changed into it -- a red shirt.

And then we were off to Lake Seminole Park -- the girls and their families (except for Teri's husband, Jeff) were meeting at the park for our first family professional photos in quite a few years. And Teri was already there when we arrived -- Teri is not known for being early and since Roxanne told her an earlier time, she made it. (And she even asked Roxanne, "Now you are giving me the wrong time, right?" lol!!)

What fun we had even though it was rather on the brisk side -- lots of pics and lots of fun after we came back to our house for the grandchildren to exchange gifts. What an awesome Christmas gift!! I couldn't have asked for more!!

So .. I won't ramble on but will share a couple of those pics here ...

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Today would have been my dad’s 85th birthday!! And as I’ve thought about that over the past few days, my mind has wandered back over the years and remembered the many things that made him special to me .. and to all of us who call him “Dad” and “Grandpa”.

There are close relationships between mothers and daughters and I was very blessed by having a godly mother. However, there is a special relationship between fathers and daughters .. Dad, our hero, our protector, our advocate .. even to Mother on our behalf, at times.

My earliest recollections include things I have shared before – my dad making sure my sash was tied right and stayed straight! Making sure my hair was ‘slicked’ back – don’t you love those ‘spit shines’ our parents loved to give us! Making sure there was absolutely no doubt that I was (along with my mom and Rachel) his sweetheart – a designation he kept for those ladies he called ‘family’. His granddaughters, great-granddaughters and even his great-great granddaughter had no doubt that they were always treasured by Grandpa!

My dad was the king of the ‘under pushes’ .. I don’t even hear that term used now but when we lived on 16th Street in Rock Island, Illinois and I was in third grade, we would walk to Longview Park, just a block away. I ran ahead to find an empty swing and then yelled for “Dad, I want an under push!” And he would pull that swing back, hold and run, and I would be flying!!

He taught me how to ride a bike and later to drive – I’m sure he must have reconsidered his choice to ride with me in a car during that process. In later years, he was probably glad he taught me as I chauffeured him around town. I remember when I had my first car accident – okay, don’t laugh but it is pretty sad when the accident involves two of your parents vehicles. And smack in front of a restaurant your mother owns! I am sure that he thought of a lot of things he could say to me as he surveyed the damage which was only a dented fender – but instead, he simply told me to get back into the driver’s seat and drive around the block with him. I thought he must be crazy but he was wanting to make sure I would not be afraid to get back into the driver’s seat. And I wasn’t .. I don’t remember him bringing that accident up over the years .. although I remembered and we actually could laugh about it later!

He showed us our great country – he would load us all up when he was heading off to preach at a campmeeting and we’d have a vacation along the way – I still remember driving through South Dakota on a dark night and then seeing an eerie light as we neared Mt. Rushmore. We visited the American Indians in New Mexico and Yellowstone on our way to the northwest. We made memories to last a lifetime!

He taught us humor – from laughter at home to humor in his ministry, Dad taught us the ability to laugh – even at ourselves. He loved to entertain me when I was a child with his impersonation of some white bearded man name Mr. Pookenheimer! He would be getting ready to shave and have his face all lathered up and I would be entranced by this man who so resembled my dad! But, he didn’t just share that with me .. he passed that along to the next generation, too. I’m so glad they got to meet that special guy!!

My dad taught us manners .. a lot of those lessons came in practical ways – the ways he treated our mother! She never opened car door for herself. He taught his sons to always walk beside the road ..to protect their ladies. He taught my brothers to pull out chairs for ladies .. and he taught us more English lessons than we cared to learn in a lifetime. That has been passed down already to the next generation and every once in a while when there is a correction, one of my girls may answer, “Yes, Grandpa Boynton!”

My dad taught me quite a bit about music although he couldn’t play a note on the piano. However, I would accompany him when he taught voice lessons and learned quickly that an accompanist does not lead … they follow!!

My dad taught us patriotism and he lived that out as he shared stories of his time serving in the frontlines of battle in World War II. His eyes grew misty when he saw a flag waving in the breeze or heard a 21 gun salute in honor of a fallen soldier. When I heard those guns during my dad’s funeral, I’ll admit that my heart swelled with pride for having a father who so willingly offered his life for freedom.

He taught us to love .. unconditionally!! I don’t think there is a member of our family who would feel like they were loved any less or any more than another family member. Family loyalty was at the top his priority list next to his commitment to the Christ he served so faithfully and the lady he spent his life with – our mom.

Each of us had our special relationships with Dad – each one unique yet so very special. I remember one of those extra special times when I took my dad to Epcot Center for his 65th birthday. He was quick to let people know I was his daughter and that he not robbed the cradle! I will treasure the memories of that day forever – we had Mahi Mahi in a restaurant there and he often reminded me of how much he enjoyed that day. We talked a lot that day and he shared a lot about his life – even about regrets.

I will admit – I missed his call on my birthday this past fall .. he would always call and remind me that I was the little blond headed gal .. and he would tell me what time I was born, how much I weighed .. and how excited I was when Tim arrived. That is, until I though he might be getting a little too much attention so did all kind of antics to try to remedy that! He loved to tell us stories about when we were little!

Even though Dad and Mother are now both in heaven, it seems that our family bonds have only deepened. I am so blessed with four awesome brothers and a wonderful sister, sister-in-laws and yes, even a great brother-in-law! We are truly only a phone call away from each other and somewhere up in heaven, I wonder if Mother and Dad smile at each other and say, “We did good, didn’t we?” Oh, no .. not hardly. I already hear the gasp from my siblings! “He would not either say that” .. He would correct himself and say, “We did well, didn’t we?”

Happy Birthday, Dad … thanks for being the very best dad a gal could have. I am blessed beyond treasure!