Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Trying something new I stole from another blogger...
Wordless Wednesday's...
My goal is to be able to post a least once a week (maybe soon I'll pick up another thing to use on daily basis) to try to keep my family up to date and let you see what I see and maybe let you post your own picture titles.
So even though THIS post is not a wordless start, you get the point... here goes!
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My goal is to be able to post a least once a week (maybe soon I'll pick up another thing to use on daily basis) to try to keep my family up to date and let you see what I see and maybe let you post your own picture titles.
So even though THIS post is not a wordless start, you get the point... here goes!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Reposting a Note from my dad on Father's Day
This is a true story written by my dad, Roger Merrill, about his dad, Kent Merrill. Please enjoy:
This is a story that a few of you already know. It's a story about about my dad. I've said on here before that my dad always said that he was on our side, right or wrong he was standing beside us. He always said that we, my siblings and I, could discuss anything with him at anytime.
In December of 1981 I turned 19. The girl I was dating at the time mysteriously got pregnant during that month. I didn't know about the pregnancy till several weeks later. Her dad told me. He told me on a Friday night when I went to pick her up for a date. Needless to say we never had that date. The news he gave me that night was devastating for me. I didn't know what to do! I waited until the following Monday and drove to my dad's office that afternoon. I'll NEVER for get that day! When I walked in to my dad's office he was on 2, yes, 2 phones at the same time. He was rockin' and rollin' making all the money that he could. I never remember my dad not getting up, shaving, and going to work. I can never remember him calling in sick. Anyway, back to my story. When I walked into his office he was smiling and talking on the phones. As I walked in he looked up at my face and instantly sensed something was wrong with me. My dad is very intuitive. It's a gift from God! His face changed and he said to the parties on the other phones: "Hey listen, I'm gonna have to call you back." When he hung up the phones he looked at me and said, " Is everything ok?" I said "Dad I need to talk to you." He asked me if I wanted to talk there or go somewhere. I chose to leave because I didn't want to break down in front of his whole office full of co-workers.
When we got in the car and started pulling out of the parking lot He asked me what was wrong. I tried to get out that Cathey was pregnant without crying but I just couldn't. I instantly broke down and started sobbing. My father reached over and touched my shoulder and said " It's gonna be OK son. Your mom and I have known for about six weeks but thought that you didn't want to tell us." That statement alone was like a two ton load had been lifted off my chest. I started being able to breathe again. I wondered how could he have known about the pregnancy when I didn't even know? He asked me if I wanted a coke and I said yes. He pulled up to a 7-11, went inside and got us both a bottle of coke. I stayed in the car sobbing. The tears that I'm shedding now are nothing compared to that day. I was a wreck! When he got back in the car as he was driving down the road, he looked over at me and asked me what I wanted to do. I didn't have I clue what I wanted to do! I didn't even know who I was yet. I eventually mustered up the words; "I Don't Know!" He looked at me, smiled, and said "Whatever you decide to do your mother and I will stand beside your decision."
My girlfriend, Cathey, wanted to give "the baby" up for adoption. This was before the days when ultra sound was common place and you didn't know the sex of your child before birth. It took me several weeks of thinking and deciding, but the conclusion that I came to was that I didn't want some young man or young lady coming up to me eighteen or twenty years later and saying to me: "Hey why didn't you want me?" So I decided that I would become a single dad. WoW! The thought of that scares me even now! I told my parents of the decision that I'd made. Again, my dad said that he and my mom would stand beside me.
By this time my girlfriend's parents had moved her to Topeka Kansas. We lived in Oklahoma City. Topeka and Oklahoma City are a long ways apart. My dad was the one who guided me through the process of gaining custody of "the baby" before "it" was even born. I had to hire a Kansas lawyer, go before a Kansas court, and make several trips to Topeka to get the paperwork approved. Bear in mind that this was before most anyone had heard of a father having sole custody of their child, especially from birth! Needless to say there were many, many obstacles to overcome. My parents were right there for me! Eventually I got all the paperwork in order and had Cathey sign off on it. Legally, on paper, when "the baby" was born, I alone would have sole custody of "it".
On September 14th 1982 Cathey called me "long distance" from Topeka Kansas to tell me her water had broken and she was going to labor. I immediately called my dad to tell him. He said; "Get your things together we're going to Topeka!" This would be the first time that either of my parents had gone to Topeka with me. Up until that point I'd gone alone. I had done the leg work myself. Later that afternoon my dad and I loaded up a couple of days worth of clothing and hopped into his big white Caprice Classic and headed north on I-35. If I remember correctly we got to Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center a little after dark. Bear in mind there were no cell phones for "common folks" like us. We had no Idea whether "the baby" had been born or not. We didn't know what room Cathey was in, we just went up to the maternity ward. When we walked up to the nursery window, my dad looked inside, pointed, and said "That's your baby right there." I said "How do you know?" He said "He looks EXACTLY like us." Well, I thought that little baby looked like.... well, a little baby. I didn't think he looked like me and I sure didn't think he looked like the Ol' Man! Come to find out "it" was my baby!
We rented a motel room and I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. The next morning we went breakfast before going back to the hospital. My dad said "Today's the day." One of my dad's favorite sayings is "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." So I knew that what was to follow may prove difficult. I also knew the powerhouse of a man that was standing right beside me!
Later that afternoon I signed the birth certificate as the paternal father for Zachary David Merrill. After all the naming and signing, Dad and I went to lunch. After lunch we went to a department store in Topeka and he bought a diaper bag, a couple of baby blankets, a few newborn outfits, formula, bottles, diapers and some wet wipes. We had dinner and went back to the motel. I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. I was worried sick, he was content.
The next morning we went to breakfast. At breakfast my dad said: "When we get there this morning, you find the doctor and tell him that you are checking Zack out of the hospital and we're going home. If you don't like his answer show him your custody paperwork." A lump the size of a grapefruit rose up in my throat and we weren't even at the hospital yet! When we arrived I went in and told Cathey that we were leaving and taking Zack home with us. She was compliant. I then went to find the doctor. When I told him that I was checking my son out of the hospital and we were going back to Oklahoma City. You should have seen the look on his face! Here I was a 19 year old kid telling him that I was checking a newborn out of the hospital. We all went in and talked to Cathey and the good doctor signed the release papers. Zack was just 72 hours old! They put a diaper and tiny t-shirt that said "My Life Began At Stormont Vail" on Zack. They swaddled him, gave us a little care package, and sent us out the door. WoW!! We didn't even have a car seat, of course that was long before that law was enacted.
We made a few bottles of formula, got in the Ol' Man's big white Caprice Classic and headed south on the Kansas Turnpike to Oklahoma City. Us three Merrill Boys. All of us about twenty years apart, all of us connected by the same DNA! When we were headed down the Pike somewhere North of the Oklahoma line I was feeding Zack a bottle. He chocked! I started trying to help him get his breath. The Ol' Man was runnin' about 70mph and started trying to help me clear the baby's throat. Remember the no car seat thing? Well Dad ran into the median at 70. We started doing 360s in the big Caprice Classic. The Ol' Man screams: "Hang on to that baby!" He was driving like Al Unser! He finally pulled it out, Zack quit choking, and we headed right down the Kansas Turnpike toward the Oklahoma line like nothing had ever happened.
Somewhere South of Wichita we stopped in a little restaurant to get some lunch and change the baby. When we got sat down and settled in the waitress came over to take our order. She looked us over, she saw the Ol'Man, a big mean looking preacher. She saw me, a pencil necked, pimpled faced kid, and a new born baby sitting at her table. She took our order looked at us for a few seconds and said "Where's that baby's momma?" As long as I live I will never forget the look on the Ol' Man's face or the words that came out of his mouth next. With a stern look, he simply said "You're lookin' at em!" As if "We" were the baby's mothers. Needless to say the waitress didn't ask any more questions.
My son Zack will be 30 soon. My daughter Ashley is right behind him. In the last 30 years I have never had to worry about some young man or young lady coming up to me and asking me why I didn't want them. I've always told my children the same thing that my dad told me. "I will always be on your side. If your right I'll tell you your right, and still be on your side. If you're wrong I'll tell you you're wrong, but I'll still be on your side. So it doesn't matter whether your right or wrong I'll always be on your side." I never had to wonder where the Ol' Man stood. I hope my children feel the same way.
I know that I've not been a perfect father, but I do love my children! My dad wasn't perfect but I never wondered whether or not he loved me . He told us he loved us, and it showed. My dad taught me to sew, cook and do laundry. When he was teaching me to sew "in case I had to ever mend my jeans" I never thought that someday I would run a sewing machine for a living and be able to make three thousand dollars in a day! I have. I never thought for one second that when he was teaching me to make "bull's eyes" for breakfast that I would be supporting myself as a professional chef. I am. I learned how to be a man from following my dad's example. I learned how to treat a lady because he taught me. I watched the way he treated my mother and other women he had contact with. He would always say "Make a lady's day." My dad is one of the greatest examples of a good man that I have ever known. I owe my life to him! I aspire to be as good a man as he is! My Dad Is My Hero! My profile picture is of those same Three Merrill Boys that were doing 360s in the middle of the Kansas Turnpike at 70mph 30 odd years ago. This picture was taken at my son Zack's wedding a few years ago. You know what.....He looks exactly like us! My how time flies.
i LOVE my family
Happy Father's Day
This is a story that a few of you already know. It's a story about about my dad. I've said on here before that my dad always said that he was on our side, right or wrong he was standing beside us. He always said that we, my siblings and I, could discuss anything with him at anytime.
In December of 1981 I turned 19. The girl I was dating at the time mysteriously got pregnant during that month. I didn't know about the pregnancy till several weeks later. Her dad told me. He told me on a Friday night when I went to pick her up for a date. Needless to say we never had that date. The news he gave me that night was devastating for me. I didn't know what to do! I waited until the following Monday and drove to my dad's office that afternoon. I'll NEVER for get that day! When I walked in to my dad's office he was on 2, yes, 2 phones at the same time. He was rockin' and rollin' making all the money that he could. I never remember my dad not getting up, shaving, and going to work. I can never remember him calling in sick. Anyway, back to my story. When I walked into his office he was smiling and talking on the phones. As I walked in he looked up at my face and instantly sensed something was wrong with me. My dad is very intuitive. It's a gift from God! His face changed and he said to the parties on the other phones: "Hey listen, I'm gonna have to call you back." When he hung up the phones he looked at me and said, " Is everything ok?" I said "Dad I need to talk to you." He asked me if I wanted to talk there or go somewhere. I chose to leave because I didn't want to break down in front of his whole office full of co-workers.
When we got in the car and started pulling out of the parking lot He asked me what was wrong. I tried to get out that Cathey was pregnant without crying but I just couldn't. I instantly broke down and started sobbing. My father reached over and touched my shoulder and said " It's gonna be OK son. Your mom and I have known for about six weeks but thought that you didn't want to tell us." That statement alone was like a two ton load had been lifted off my chest. I started being able to breathe again. I wondered how could he have known about the pregnancy when I didn't even know? He asked me if I wanted a coke and I said yes. He pulled up to a 7-11, went inside and got us both a bottle of coke. I stayed in the car sobbing. The tears that I'm shedding now are nothing compared to that day. I was a wreck! When he got back in the car as he was driving down the road, he looked over at me and asked me what I wanted to do. I didn't have I clue what I wanted to do! I didn't even know who I was yet. I eventually mustered up the words; "I Don't Know!" He looked at me, smiled, and said "Whatever you decide to do your mother and I will stand beside your decision."
My girlfriend, Cathey, wanted to give "the baby" up for adoption. This was before the days when ultra sound was common place and you didn't know the sex of your child before birth. It took me several weeks of thinking and deciding, but the conclusion that I came to was that I didn't want some young man or young lady coming up to me eighteen or twenty years later and saying to me: "Hey why didn't you want me?" So I decided that I would become a single dad. WoW! The thought of that scares me even now! I told my parents of the decision that I'd made. Again, my dad said that he and my mom would stand beside me.
By this time my girlfriend's parents had moved her to Topeka Kansas. We lived in Oklahoma City. Topeka and Oklahoma City are a long ways apart. My dad was the one who guided me through the process of gaining custody of "the baby" before "it" was even born. I had to hire a Kansas lawyer, go before a Kansas court, and make several trips to Topeka to get the paperwork approved. Bear in mind that this was before most anyone had heard of a father having sole custody of their child, especially from birth! Needless to say there were many, many obstacles to overcome. My parents were right there for me! Eventually I got all the paperwork in order and had Cathey sign off on it. Legally, on paper, when "the baby" was born, I alone would have sole custody of "it".
On September 14th 1982 Cathey called me "long distance" from Topeka Kansas to tell me her water had broken and she was going to labor. I immediately called my dad to tell him. He said; "Get your things together we're going to Topeka!" This would be the first time that either of my parents had gone to Topeka with me. Up until that point I'd gone alone. I had done the leg work myself. Later that afternoon my dad and I loaded up a couple of days worth of clothing and hopped into his big white Caprice Classic and headed north on I-35. If I remember correctly we got to Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center a little after dark. Bear in mind there were no cell phones for "common folks" like us. We had no Idea whether "the baby" had been born or not. We didn't know what room Cathey was in, we just went up to the maternity ward. When we walked up to the nursery window, my dad looked inside, pointed, and said "That's your baby right there." I said "How do you know?" He said "He looks EXACTLY like us." Well, I thought that little baby looked like.... well, a little baby. I didn't think he looked like me and I sure didn't think he looked like the Ol' Man! Come to find out "it" was my baby!
We rented a motel room and I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. The next morning we went breakfast before going back to the hospital. My dad said "Today's the day." One of my dad's favorite sayings is "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." So I knew that what was to follow may prove difficult. I also knew the powerhouse of a man that was standing right beside me!
Later that afternoon I signed the birth certificate as the paternal father for Zachary David Merrill. After all the naming and signing, Dad and I went to lunch. After lunch we went to a department store in Topeka and he bought a diaper bag, a couple of baby blankets, a few newborn outfits, formula, bottles, diapers and some wet wipes. We had dinner and went back to the motel. I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. I was worried sick, he was content.
The next morning we went to breakfast. At breakfast my dad said: "When we get there this morning, you find the doctor and tell him that you are checking Zack out of the hospital and we're going home. If you don't like his answer show him your custody paperwork." A lump the size of a grapefruit rose up in my throat and we weren't even at the hospital yet! When we arrived I went in and told Cathey that we were leaving and taking Zack home with us. She was compliant. I then went to find the doctor. When I told him that I was checking my son out of the hospital and we were going back to Oklahoma City. You should have seen the look on his face! Here I was a 19 year old kid telling him that I was checking a newborn out of the hospital. We all went in and talked to Cathey and the good doctor signed the release papers. Zack was just 72 hours old! They put a diaper and tiny t-shirt that said "My Life Began At Stormont Vail" on Zack. They swaddled him, gave us a little care package, and sent us out the door. WoW!! We didn't even have a car seat, of course that was long before that law was enacted.
We made a few bottles of formula, got in the Ol' Man's big white Caprice Classic and headed south on the Kansas Turnpike to Oklahoma City. Us three Merrill Boys. All of us about twenty years apart, all of us connected by the same DNA! When we were headed down the Pike somewhere North of the Oklahoma line I was feeding Zack a bottle. He chocked! I started trying to help him get his breath. The Ol' Man was runnin' about 70mph and started trying to help me clear the baby's throat. Remember the no car seat thing? Well Dad ran into the median at 70. We started doing 360s in the big Caprice Classic. The Ol' Man screams: "Hang on to that baby!" He was driving like Al Unser! He finally pulled it out, Zack quit choking, and we headed right down the Kansas Turnpike toward the Oklahoma line like nothing had ever happened.
Somewhere South of Wichita we stopped in a little restaurant to get some lunch and change the baby. When we got sat down and settled in the waitress came over to take our order. She looked us over, she saw the Ol'Man, a big mean looking preacher. She saw me, a pencil necked, pimpled faced kid, and a new born baby sitting at her table. She took our order looked at us for a few seconds and said "Where's that baby's momma?" As long as I live I will never forget the look on the Ol' Man's face or the words that came out of his mouth next. With a stern look, he simply said "You're lookin' at em!" As if "We" were the baby's mothers. Needless to say the waitress didn't ask any more questions.
My son Zack will be 30 soon. My daughter Ashley is right behind him. In the last 30 years I have never had to worry about some young man or young lady coming up to me and asking me why I didn't want them. I've always told my children the same thing that my dad told me. "I will always be on your side. If your right I'll tell you your right, and still be on your side. If you're wrong I'll tell you you're wrong, but I'll still be on your side. So it doesn't matter whether your right or wrong I'll always be on your side." I never had to wonder where the Ol' Man stood. I hope my children feel the same way.
I know that I've not been a perfect father, but I do love my children! My dad wasn't perfect but I never wondered whether or not he loved me . He told us he loved us, and it showed. My dad taught me to sew, cook and do laundry. When he was teaching me to sew "in case I had to ever mend my jeans" I never thought that someday I would run a sewing machine for a living and be able to make three thousand dollars in a day! I have. I never thought for one second that when he was teaching me to make "bull's eyes" for breakfast that I would be supporting myself as a professional chef. I am. I learned how to be a man from following my dad's example. I learned how to treat a lady because he taught me. I watched the way he treated my mother and other women he had contact with. He would always say "Make a lady's day." My dad is one of the greatest examples of a good man that I have ever known. I owe my life to him! I aspire to be as good a man as he is! My Dad Is My Hero! My profile picture is of those same Three Merrill Boys that were doing 360s in the middle of the Kansas Turnpike at 70mph 30 odd years ago. This picture was taken at my son Zack's wedding a few years ago. You know what.....He looks exactly like us! My how time flies.
i LOVE my family
Happy Father's Day
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