Here's my Dad - he's turning 49 today!!
As a result of my really busy day at work today (extreme exaggeration), I'm going to take the next 3 hours I have left at work as an opportunity to share with you a little about my dad. I promise the post won't be 3 hours long - I'm just going to pass that much time creating it.
My dad is a paramedic in Canyon, TX and is pretty well known amongst my friends for his story-telling abilities. In fact, when my brothers and I were little we always took family vacations to Palo Duro Canyon to go camping. As you're driving down into the canyon there's a sign exactly like the one below. Here's how the story about this sign goes (give or take a little):
Dad: Hey, do y'all know what "Falling Rock" means?
Us: Uhh, maybe like there's falling rocks off the mountain?
Dad: No, they actually put that sign there for me. Falling Rock is my Indian name.
Us: Really???!
Dad: Yep. When I was a kid we were camping here and some Indians captured me and I lived with them until I was 16 years old!
There were many, many fine details he told us...chiefs' names (that probably resembled other road signs), how they hunted, what he wore, things about tee-pee life, etc. And I'll be honest - I believed this story until I was somewhere around the 8th grade, maybe even older.
Dad's favorite movie is "Happy Feet" and he wears this hat to work during Christmas time. Also, he recently coined a term, "unfold my ear",which makes this picture even better.
One summer he taught me how to put a weather vane on top of a gazebo in our yard. His idea of how to make it level was to keep adding washers under the lowest side until it was even. We bought 14 big washers. That still wasn't enough..........
Over the years he's also taught me how to carry as many buckets as possible so you just have to make one trip to feed the horses when it's too cold or too hot. He's taught me the many uses of a Folger's coffee can. Taught me the difference between a snake and a salamander. And, much to my mother's dismay, showed me how to drink from a horse trough and taught me that licking a salt block like the horses do is good for you, in the sense that it "builds up your immunity"
He loves horses and he's pretty good at the whole rodeo thing too! He and John got 2nd place in a competition this morning, actually :)
He's always got a smile on his face and, as my Grandma (mom's mother) would say..."He's always happy. He loves his family, his job, and everything else too." That's probably what I like most about my Dad!
So, Dad, Happy Birthday!! I love you
