Happy Birthday Daddy!
Today my sweet Daddy would have been 69. Here is a little walk down memory lane!
I just love a plump baby and he was born my grandmother’s largest at almost 10 pounds. Wasn’t he adorable?
I love this sweet picture of him with his big brother. They did not grow up with a lot but my grandmother always had them dressed so cute.
I’m definitely biased but I think he was just so handsome. I see a lot of him in Riley so many times. My dad was an amazing athlete and could have gone on to play college ball but he was also good at working and made that choice instead.
I’m thankful my mom took pictures of my dad and I even though for most of my life he was on the road working for 6-9 months out of the year. I never knew any difference growing up and as I got older I think sometimes my brother and I resented him a little for being gone so much. It is tough on a marriage and we surely could have used a little more guidance at home. As an adult I realize he was doing what he thought was the “right thing” for his family as a provider. The one thing I never questioned was his love for me.
I’m not sure why but I always loved this picture growing up and now it’s kind of funny that it was a “selfie”.
When my dad was home I remember him a lot like this; sitting at the table in the mornings having coffee and reading the paper or going through the mail.
I do believe this is where he was his happiest. After he passed away and I was going through his things I found so many pictures of the places he worked through the years. This working man laid pipeline all across this country and he saw such beautiful scenery of mountains and rolling hills and places the ordinary road does not take you. What I also saw was him in ditches in mud up to his waist or laying on his back under huge pipe welding. There is no way he didn’t love this. He was made to be a working man and I don’t think we ever really appreciated what he sacrificed so we could live the life we had.
Oh how he loved his dog Corky. They found each other while he was out on the road one year and became fast friends. My dad was a big tough man but he was super sensitive when it came to animals.
Two months before we found out he had cancer my dad came to visit us in College Station. He brought his travel trailer and stayed for a week which allowed him to see Riley play baseball several times and attend a district track meet Jordan was running in. Dillon was only 2 and I know he doesn’t remember my dad but I was so thankful my dad had this time with him. I look back on this time and I know that somehow God made this time happen. In the 14 years I lived in College Station, my dad had never once come to visit for an extended period of time. I was overjoyed having him come to dinner at my house and have coffee on Saturday morning.
Losing someone is never easy and I miss my daddy so much. I really wish he could have seen my kids grow up and for sure know he would have been tickled to death at my spunky little Carly Jo. I am thankful he knew the love of Jesus and thankful we had the time together to say all the things we ever really wanted to say.
You can read a little more about my dad’s story in the post His Baby Girl which I wrote on the 10 year anniversary of his passing but you might need a tissue.
Happy Birthday Dad!