Celebrating All The Men in My Life

Father!  To God himself we cannot give a holier name.

  -William Wordsworth 

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. 

-Theodore Hesburgh

Here is a photo of most of the men in my life.  (Jack was in transit at the time of this photo.)  None of these men live with me as I haven't found one desirous of that position.  However, I want to note the incredible impact each of them have had on me, my mother, my sisters, my sister-in-law, and my nieces and nephews.  They are diligent and hard working. They are ambitious providers.  They love and respect my father and mother.  They are eager to get together and seem to enjoy the chaos when all 25 of us gather.  If they don't enjoy the chaos they hide it well.  They set good examples for their children.  They are funny.  They are honest.  They are intelligent.  They are handy.  They are dependable.  They are industrious.  They love their wives.  They love their children.  And luckily, they even seem to love me...most of the time. 

And then there's my Dad.  He is funny.  He is considerate.  He loves my Mom.  He loves his children.  He loves his grandchildren.  He works hard.  He loves ice cream.  He loves to visit his brothers.  He loves football.  He is the best story teller.  I might have heard the trailer passing him in his truck story a million times, but I still laugh to tears when he is telling it once more.  He could write a book titled "How Not To" for several of his projects a family friend has said.  He can figure anything out.  He can rebuild the innards of your closet in efforts to utilize more space than you knew was available.  He is smart.  He cries during touching movies...especially "Rudy".  He is kind.  He is a competitor.  He loves to play Rook.  He is good to his employees.  He is honest.  He's my Dad!  I love you.

Happy Father's Day! 

40 More Please

This is what 40 years of marriage will do for you.  How fun and happy are they.  It was inspiring!  Click here for more images.

Tagged Again

I have been blog tagged by one of the most entertaining water sports women I know. Not only is she an accomplished skiier, wakeboarder, boat driver, and prop muncher but she can improvise new activities like no one else I know. If you are interested in seeing an example of just what I speak, please click here. Yep, the boat was broken that day.

Blog Tag Rules:
Answer these 15 questions on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts. Tag 5 people by leaving their names at the end of the post. Leave a comment on their blog so they know they have been tagged.

Joyful Things:

1. My family is the foundation and source of all joy in my life. I am the luckiest girl to be related to my parents, siblings, in laws, and nieces and nephews. The joyful moments they provide are numberless. I learn something new from them constantly. Don't you know sometimes we need to learn and worry about stuff like aliens, the bird flu, and cholesterol. (source of enlightenment is Megan age 10)

2. When you are a foot loose and fancy free single 36 year old....friends become family. I am very lucky again. And they know who they are.

3. And now there's a tie....can't decide which thing brings me more joy. Is it Peppermint Patties or Michigan Football? It's a close one. Someone brought me a Peppermint Pattie at work the other day and it was the best thing that happened to me all week. Not kidding.

Fearful Things:

1. I detest spiders. I don't want them in my house. I don't want them where I sleep. I don't want to kill them. My palms sweat and my heart rate goes up dramatically if I have to kill one of the hairy ugly ones. My Aunt Malee thinks I am off the chain crazy and regularly would refuse to kill the Hobo spiders in her house where I would sleep. Yes, the conditions were deplorable!

2. I absolutely abhor missing fun events with friends. I know....silly....but if you aren't 36 and single, don't judge me.

3. I loathe cold days in May. It's not right and someone should tell Mother Nature she is breaking all summer laws. The trepidation and terror it causes can not be explained. Well...if you are a water sports person you just might understand.

Things to Work For:

1. I want to learn Photoshop CS3 better than I know it now. I am only in the my infancy here.

2. I want to learn to wake skate this summer. Don't ask my friend Brian about this....he's having surgery today after separating his shoulder a few weeks ago. Don't worry, I wished him a happy surgery day.

3. I want to improve my yoga skills. I have a long way to go but I will get better.

Things I am Obsessed With:

1. I LOVE taking photos of kids. Their facial expressions slay me and I find them to be the funniest people on earth.

2. I would have to say I am obsessed with Michigan Football. Some might say I lose touch with a little reality in the Fall. I have no idea what they are talking about. I am very happy in my own little Maize and Blue haze.

3. Subway. I am obsessed with Subway. I go there all the time for lunch. I know everyone by name. I have my own table. Well, I have my own table if no one else sits there....it's hard some days. And when I arrive, they ask me if I am having the "Rachael" sandwich today. Yep, they know what sandwich I want too. Sad.

Random and Surprising Facts:

1. I read the National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Reader's Digest cover to cover every month.

2. I also read People magazine weekly. It is a mandatory counteraction for all those other educational publications I eagerly consume.

3. I have it bad for a little dark chocolate.

I am now doing something I swore I would never do.....playing blog tag.

Angie, Wade, Kalle Z., Liz M., and Eliza can now consider themselves IT!

Mr. Blue Eyes

Here are Mr. O's birthday wishes a few days late.  We did all of this and more in just 25 minutes.  He slays me with his baby blues.  For more images click here.

All Things Fall

Just wanted to post some fun memories from one of the most cold, wet, and fun tailgating experiences I have ever had.  We had the Bibe contingency in attendance.  I think they were having a great time.  The Bibe brothers went to the game courtesy of their resourceful sister.  She must have some little people!       

Birthdays All Around

So I am a day late posting birthday wishes for Angie... but don't tell.  I am 13 days late posting birthday wishes to Owen.  Hopefully he won't notice.  Some of my favorite things about Angie are:

* She can convince me to do just about anything...well most of the time.

* We still have something to talk about even if it's my fourth call of the day.

* She still thinks "I am a creature unlike any other" even when she knows my "other" (aka short-comings) parts. 

* She's Owen's mother and he provides me with much entertainment.

* She decided to move to Michigan with me in less than 30 seconds.  That was almost 8 years ago. 

Celebrate All Things Feminine

Today I honor these women and what they mean to me.  My Mother and Aunt are examples of all I hope to become.  They are kind, loving, hard-working, cheerful, efficient, loyal, accomplished cooks, faithful, disciplined, clean, organized, intelligent, talented, honest, resilient, and most of all they love me in spite of all my short-comings.  Aren't I lucky! 

Happy Mother's and Favorite Aunt's Day.  I love you both.