Camping

Pete, Potato and I are getting the heck out of Dodge this weekend, and I am so freakin' excited. I'm having a serious case of burnout and need a change of scenery. Hopefully I'll be posting up some pictures when we get back. Happy Independence Day!

Happy (Belated) Father's Day and Birthday!

My Dad is (and has been) on vacation, so it's okay that I'm a little late with this post. I want to wish my Dad a very happy Father's Day and a very happy birthday! And in honor of that, I'll talk a bit about what my Dad means to me.

First of all, this picture was taken of my Dad in his natural setting: fly-fishing. As he is fond of saying, a bad day on the river is better than a good day at work. I love this picture because of my Dad's smile. His smile is infectious, and I can't help but smile every time I see it. Also infectious is his laughter. My Dad laughs harder and more sincerely than anyone else I have ever met. Anytime he laughs hard it is the highlight of my day. You have to respect someone who laughs with such abandon.

The most important thing I have learned from my father is integrity. He has more of it in his pinky toe than most people will have in an entire lifetime. If he says he will do something, you can rest assured that if it is physically possible, it will happen. He is honest, and he works harder than anyone else I know. Anything he does, he does well. There is no one in the world that I respect more than my father. He has taught me how to solve problems, how to work hard, and how to let your work speak for itself. My Dad has given me very high standards for the men in my life.

I know that parents are supposed to be proud of their children, but I am also proud of my
father. When I was little, he had started his own repair shop out of our garage at home. He is a truly gifted mechanic with an innate understanding of how things work. He believes in fixing things the right way and not patching anything. He carved out a niche for himself doing fleet maintenance and repair and is very successful. He is truly amazing and talented in ways that most of us can only dream of. I learned so much working in the family business growing up, and I can honestly say that things I learned at Welton Repair have made me a better employee at every job I have had since. Also, the principle of rotating inventory (putting the old stuff in front and new in back like my Dad does in his parts room) has served me well in everything from my pantry to linens shelf :)

My Dad has a great way with words. So here are a few of my favorite Dad sayings:

Explaining 4WD to me at 15 years old my first time driving in snow:
"It has a lot of go, but not a lot of woah."

When servicing our vehicles at the shop:
"It's good enough for who it's for."

Advising me when I'm having Peter problems:
"I've always liked him. Of course, I'm not the one who has to look across the breakfast table at him every morning."

So thanks, Dad! I am so lucky to have you for my father. I have learned so much from you, and appreciate all that you have done for me (and I know there has been a LOT). I can't wait to see you in August!

Answers

Apparently I was asked to answer some questions about myself, and I totally missed it. It actually took me quite a while to get through them all, but here they are. La voila.

What were you doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago I had just finished my freshman year of high school. I was working for my dad during summer break. I was still dating my high school boyfriend. I was getting ready to go to "the other U of M" in the fall.


What were you doing one year ago?

One year ago I had just moved all my stuff to Minnesota from Wisconsin, celebrated Pete's birthday, and was on my way to Montana. I spent most of June there with my family.


Five snacks you enjoy:

1) strawberries
2) puff corn
3) sweet tarts
4) granola/cereal
5) cookies


Five songs you know all the lyrics to:

1) Sculpture Garden, Semisonic
2) Short skirt/long jacket, Cake
3) Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
4) Forgot About Dre, Dr. Dre & Eminem
5) Chemistry, Semisonic


Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1) Donate money to causes I believe in
2) Buy Pete a new bike, or maybe a few new bikes
3) Quit working and start volunteering
4) Take a long vacation
5) Buy all organic food all the time


Five Bad Habits:

1) Poor posture
2) Grumpiness when tired/hungry
3) Procrastinating
4) Not putting laundry away
5) Indecision


Five Things You Like Doing:

1) Hangin' with my boys (Pete and Fredo)
2) Taking baths when it's cold
3) Walking
4) Reading
5) Anything near the ocean, river, or lake

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again:

1) Cropped tops
2) Tapered jeans
3) Bangs
4) Windsuits
5) Anything in flourescent colors

Five Favorite Toys:

1) TV
2) Laptop
3) iPod
4) Stuffed Hedgehogs (this one's for you, Fred!)
5) Frisbee

Five Annoyances:

1) Pushy people
2) People writing checks at the store
3) Bad Drivers
4) Wastefulness
5) People pretending to be perfect and hiding imperfections. It makes the rest of us feel like shit, so just let it out there! You'll feel better, I promise!

Annual Pete Birthday Week

It's time to celebrate annual Pete birthday week. Because a birthday is too important to celebrate in a single day. Words to live by.

On Thursday Peter will be 28 years old. I know that he doesn't like to make a big deal out of his birthday, but I do. I'm so lucky to have Peter in my life. So in honor of his birthday, here are a few of the reasons that Peter is such a great guy:

*He's smart. Pete is my first line of information about everything, and he's usually right about everything.

*He's funny. Pete makes me laugh every day.

*He says things that you're thinking but won't say. He'll tell those people in the movie theater to pipe down so you don't have to.

*He's got a heart of gold. Pete loves the Fredo just as much as I do after only a year of living with him.

There are many more reasons, of course, but I don't want to embarrass Pete too much :) Happy birthday!