Father's Day memories...

Father's Day 2101....Off to a good start. Church was amazing. A blues grass band played. Very uplifting message. Good family time. I know I am blessed... and am reminded every Sunday in case I forget.
Then it began to rain.... and rain.... and rain.... for our one hour drive to my dad's home.

"Breakfast of the champions" is what we call this. We told the kids they could order anything off of the dollar menu. That seems to work every time! And you will notice Greg had to get the enormous iced coffee.... he said it was father's day... and he deserved it. Actually I think he knew what kind of day was ahead. I always have fantasies about holidays and family time in the car.... guess he knew!

My dad was happy. Every time we ask him what he wants for his birthday or father's day or Christmas... he says "a suitcase full of money". Well, I was not about to go out and buy a suitcase, so my brother and I filled this bag with money. To tell you the truth we didn't even count what we put in. We just threw in what we had. After reviewing the photo, I think dad made out real well.

We also gave him Saltwater Taffy. We call them "chewies"... we have called them that since we were kids. My dad even named a kid Chewy after he ate everyone's saltwater taffy during a vacation (long story.. will save for another day). Although, I wonder if Brad B. still goes by Chewy at age 43. I am pretty sure he goes by Brad now.

One quick pose with the kids before we head out. Jan served us cinnamon rolls. Two kinds... one from the church (I must get their recipe.... delicious) and one from a tube (the kids prefer..haha... probably because they are used to those kind), and also a plate of brownies. Can you say "stuffed"? McDonalds and cinnamon rolls. It was going to be a long drive home!

Bye Toby... see you soon.

Toby The Wonderdog

Of course Greg had to gas up at the station. The morning started out with him insisting we had to be "on time" for church in honor of father's day (yeah, we heard that phrase over and over..) so we would take his truck (the beefy Harley Davidson truck) instead of my car (the new car that is smooth on trips like these). He swore he had enough gas..... Well, well, well.... just look at the photo above. Hmmm.... it looks like he didn't!

It was actually fun stopping. Small town. Interesting scenery.

Loved the "fish".... so I had a great idea...

everyone in the family had to pose next to some carving and have a photo taken.

The kids wanted ice cream. This was all they got. Hey, we just had McDonalds and cinnamon rolls... and saltwater taffy. No more sugar!

Brooke picked the bear. Cute and cuddly. Just like her.

A gnome for Mason. Notice he had to make the same face... or it might have been because he did NOT want his photo taken. Did I mention there was a main road out front and everyone was honking at him?

Greg chose the big guy. People were honking at him too.

I chose the mermaid. And after seeing this photo decided I needed to join a gym.

This is a photo from the story below... but I put it in the wrong order and cannot figure out how to fix it. I have never claimed to be a computer genius.

John Wayne.... I truly would have bid on this at the auction (car show) but you had to wait around until 4pm to see if you had won. Greg's dad would have loved it. He has a John Wayne poster in his home. Every time I go there I want one. Seriously! It's kind of like those posters with the dogs playing poker... or black light.... you don't know where to get them any more... but they bring back the good ol days. You just like them! Okay, maybe not everyone, but I will admit that I do. Sorry, Bob, I could not sit at that car show for three hours waiting to see if I'd won the clock (you had to be present to win). I'll look on ebay for one.

The sign on the side of the road...

We were heading back home from my dad's house. No, Greg did not just see this sign. No, no, no!!! It was raining and I was tired and full. Please no stops...

So you can see... we stopped!

It was father's day (I know, I know).

Brooke looks real thrilled with the engine. That's when I grabbed her and made her go over to the auction area where they were auctioning off dolls, doilies and John Wayne clocks. It was better than car engines.

This one was pretty cool. It reminds me of the car in Grease. Remember the car race at the end where Danny (John Travolta) had to win Sandy's (Olivia Newton John's) heart? The villain (Knicky) drove one like this. Dangerous. Mysterious. Cool. So 80"s. I love it.

If I could choose, this would have been the one for me. Crimson and Gray (WSU colors). Perfect!

I swear on the bible.... this sign truly was on the way home. We saw it when we were leaving the fabulous car show. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Oh good, we didn't have to stop for this one. I think Greg was getting tired and we still had an hour to drive.

The kids..... happy..... one minute into the drive home.....

.... and one minute after that. Fighting over Gogo's! If you don't know what Gogo's are... then I suggest you hide your kids eyes from this photo. Don't get them. They only lead to fighting and tears. They are cute little toys, but not worth it! Trust me!!!

Greg can't handle fighting in the car (especially on father's day... did I mention it was father's day???). So he did what any dad would do. Reach for a CD that only he likes (it is father's day you know), turn up the volume, and tune the kids out. Insert my scream at any time!!!! CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!

Home at last. He gets the remote. Notice he uses two fingers to flip between many channels. And it was our lucky day.... father's day.... every sport known to man was on!

I put a blanket over him and just let him be.

And he said it was a great FATHER'S DAY!!!!

OH, life is good...

-Tracy