HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

My Papa turns 78 today but he's so young at heart you wouldn't know he was a day over 50!

What other 78 year old still goes down water slides? Well, my Papa does!

Sometimes, I'm surprised that my Papa and I are still on speaking terms! Why is that, you ask? Let's see...he taught me to drive and there were certaintly lessons that I would come home from where we wouldn't be speaking! (My wisdom as a 28 year old enables me to aknowledge that it was probably all of my fault; but, whatever! That's in the past, right?!)

We also worked together at the Education Center on Beale AFB for many years and he would get SO MAD at me because I would make a habit of running to his office and begging and pleading for him to take 5 minutes to talk to an airmen who just had one quick question, right as he was packing up to leave for the day. He'd always tell me no, even after I reminded him about how this poor, poor airmen just wanted an education like everyone else, this airmen who would give his life for his country and you won't take just 5 minutes to speak to him?!?! He'd still tell me no, and by now he was flustered, so I would leave his office (most professionally, I might add, I never, ever stomped off) to go tell the airmen that he would have to make an appoitment and come back later and just when I would be about to tell them, Papa would stick his head out of the office and shout to me to "send him on down, Miss!" 45 minutes later, he'd be leaving...w/a smile on his face!

We had a ball at the Ed Center, though. After I started working there, everyone was calling him Papa! After I started working there, people knew more about my family than ever before! *cringes* Ooops! I'm an open book! What can I say?

So, a few years ago, for Christmas, I gave my Grandpa some John Wayne DVDs. The following year, on his B-day, I noticed that they were still in the wrapper on his dressesr! So, I re-wrapped them and re-gifted them to him! This is him opening them for the 2nd time! Since then, the John Wayne DVDs have been lost and he blames each and every one of us in the family for taking them! Last year for his B-day, I gave him this picture! He still has the picture; but, no John Wayne DVDs.

My Papa is a great man. Wonderful. Loving. Supportive. Kind. Funny. I hope he has a fantastic B-day! I love you, Papa!

Papa loves USC! (Really, he's an Ohio State fan and he gives us USC fans so much crap that I had to post this picture of him happily wearing a USC hat!)

Papa is also notorious for taking naps on benches in public. Here, he fell asleep next to my step-dad on Pier 39 in San Fran!

And here, he passed out while sipping an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista in San Francisco!

Just kidding! He didn't really pass out! He graciously posed for me as a joke!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!