Wacky Wednesday - We went to see a tree and all we saw was this sign

Yesterday I was telling someone about how my daughter failed her history exam, but still passed the course. This led to us talking about how when I was young, some of our family outings (okay, most of our family outings) centered around history. Here in SW Ohio, a lot of Native American history lies. So we had a lot of trips like that.

One in particular my father will never live down. He read about Chief Logan who made speech about Indian-White relations underneath this huge elm tree. So off we went to see where this tree, "Logan's Elm", was. We drove and drove and drove until we were in the middle of no where. We walked out into this field and there it was, a memorial sign. This is a picture of it.

Apparently the tree died years before and this memorial was put in that place. We went to see a tree and this is all we got. Though, I am not sure a tree would be any more dramatic for teenagers to want to see. This was one of our wacky trips.

Wacky Wednesday

My Dad is a hoot! He loves to make people laugh and he did just that last night. We (my dad, mom, Foxy, kids and me) were at a high school basketball game. Now our poor team has yet to win a game this season. They do not seem to know anything about ball handling, team work, or defending. Bless their hearts! So my dad and I try and make the game more fun for ourselves by seeing what we can do to cheer on the team and the pep band.

Last night, there were a lot of kids in the pep band. They were rocking the gym! My kids both play percussion (which may I say is the best part of our band. No, I am not prejudice at all!). Dad went up by them and started dancing. Just below the percussionist were the clarinets and the big bass something (not sure if if was a bassoon or a bass sax). Then the alto and tenor saxophones were next. Well they all started watching and cracking up! When it was done, AJ and TA (my girl and boy, respectively) were hanging their heads down in shame and trying not to looked amused. The rest of the kids were laughing and having a good time.

My dad is known as the "Candy Man". He passes out thousands of Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers to anyone who will take them. It's his way of meeting new people. It breaks the ice. So he started passing out candy to the clarinet row. I told him he better buy a bag just for the band, at this rate. Ha, ha! So just imagine, a 60+ year old man, who is 5' 7" and standing next to the pep band on the gym bleachers wiggling his hips and acting goofy. It was a Wacky sight for sure!

Happy Birthday

Well, tomorrow is my Dad's birthday. He will be 67. It's a relief to say that. This as you know has been the hardest year I have ever seen him go through. There have been some hard years. Like when his Dad died. He went into such a funk for a long time over that. But who wouldn't?

This year has also seen some wonderful times. I know that's hard to believe but I try to see the good in almost everything. This year our church really has pulled together and made it easy for us to love them and feel loved. It has brought Dad and Mom some faithful and caring friends that proved themselves. I believe it brought my family closer too in many ways.

Dad, Allie and I got to go to Washington D.C. for a trip we will never forget. We just found out about his cancer and had not really coped with it and he had not started his treatments. We didn't even know what the rest of the year would bring, but we definitely made the most of that trip. Even though Dad and I didn't really talk about anything in particular or get too serious, it was a trip we had always wanted to take. Now he is talking about going back when Timm goes. Wouldn't that be great? Timm, Mike and Dad in D.C.. Timm is looking forward to that.

All my life, I have been Daddy's little girl. In fact, one of our exchange students said that we were "Xerox copies". We are so much alike in so many ways. My attitude is like his, my outlook on people and life are like his, and my sense of humor is like his. I am proud to be his daughter.

He has shown me what a father should be like and that has helped me all my life imagine what God, as a father, is like too. I think he has made it easy for me to accept that God is my father and that he loves me, all because Dad loves me. I love him too, and hope that he has many more birthdays to come!