Dad

I'm thankful for Mother's Days and Father's Days that help put things back in perspective again.

Dad Feb 2008

I miss him everyday, but at the same time there aren't too many that I don't feel like he's nearby helping, in a way more powerful than while he was living.  It's hard to explain but often when I'm in the yard working and I have time to just work and think, I feel his influence and guidance.

I don't remember everything I said at his funeral (probably a good reason to have written it down rather than "shoot from the hip"), but there was something I know I mentioned near the end and that was that I appreciate my dad for teaching me about what a kind and loving Heavenly Father must be like.  And on those days when I feel him near, he continues to teach me.

I love you Dad!

50 Years?!!!

I guess Rosie and I can only hope.
Rosie has made a lot of friends during her short 7+ years in AZ and many of them Rosie looks to as mother figures.  One such friend she has grown close to while serving as one of her Visiting Teachers and tonight we were invited to attend her and her husband's 50th Anniversary.  It was a great night and surprisingly we weren't as out of place as I might have expected when I first heard that we were going.
Don't get me wrong, I like the people we were there to celebrate, but I assumed the people that would be there would be family (which we are obviously not) and/or older people who we share nothing in common with (some may argue the old part).  That all said I was, for the most part, wrong.
First, I should give you and idea about what these people are like.  They were called to serve a mission somewhere in the Carribeans a number of years ago and during their farewell talks in church, Bro. White mentioned that he had always dreamed of walking an island beach with a beautiful blonde and now the Lord was answerring this AZ boys dream.  Or at least something to that affect.
While there we were able to socialize with some of the older couples from our ward who, admittedly, Rosie knows better than I do.  It was a quite enjoyable.
With all this, Bro. White got up to say a word, or so, about how thankful they were for the attendees and then began telling the story of how they met. I won't go into that too much but suffice it to say that it was a good story.  Towards the end though; and this is the part that struck me, partly for its laugh and mostly because it started me thinking about deeper things in life, he mentioned that "Marla and I have 6 kids so far...."
I happened to be sitting across the table from Marla when the comment was made and the look on her face was priceless.
Anyway it obviously got people laughing and after I got my chuckles out of the way it started me thinking about how we should always be thinking about the next big thing.
I thought about my dad and my mom and their 40th.
I thought about Rosie and I and our next big thing (or more to the point of what that might be).
I thought about discussions Rosie and I have while laying in bed talking about our relationship and intimate things.
I thought about adoption.  A lot.
Then I went and found Rosie who was sitting with the Carr's and chatting.  And again thought...

Bunnysuits

A few weeks ago I was at work and had to go out to the Intel manufacturing floor; which in the past wasn't a big deal-- you don the smock, ground straps, and some safety glasses and, once you passed the ESD grounding test, you were out on the floor.That has since changed...
With Intel products getting smaller and more susceptible to foreign materials they have changed it to wear "bunnysuits."  We're not talking the cool looking ones from the Intel ads they used to have and they take quite a bit of time to don (and doff).
This is where my story comes in.  I was on the phone with Rosie that afternoon and trying to meet up with another engineer to get him to run some stuff for an experiment I needed to complete some data collection on.  I was already behind and told Rosie, "I've got to drop now so I can put my bunnysuit on."
There was a short pause followed by hilarious laughter.  Rosie I'm sure was imagining that her husband had some Ralphie look-alike bunny suit  that he was getting ready to put on and was wondering what on earth her husband was doing with a pink floppy-ear, fuzzy-tail suit after Easter was over.  What dimented activity had he signed up for that would require such a suit and who was it that had talked him into wearing the suit because she, I'm sure, wanted to know what tactics of persuasion he/she employed so she could sign up for the elite training it must have taken to get him to volunteer for such activities.
All said, I'm sure I don't want to know what her imagination had conjured up and I certainly wouldn't have agreed to such nonsense nonetheless.  I know the impromptu stories she tells sparked by her vivid imagination.
I quickly realized the reason for the laughter nearly immediately after the words bunnysuit came out of my mouth, knowing what must enter her head without the experience of life at Intel and began trying to explain what an Intel bunnysuit was.  This didn't seem to cause the images of Ears and tales to disappear becuase I'm pretty sure she was still half laughing when we said goodbye.
For future clarification, for those who may hear me talk of such things, this is what I intended when I say, "Bunnysuit."

My bunnysuit (Man, that's a big schnozz)

The more I look at it, the more I realize, when other Intelites adorned in similar fashion aren't around, that maybe Ralphie didn't look so ridiculous.  I was beginning to convince myself that these things were almost stylish when I see everyone else dressed in these things.  I'm fairly certain people will still be laughing as much as if I just allowed them to continue thinking ears and fuzzy tail.