Graffiti

Okay, this picture was taken while traveling a freeway through downtown San Fran. I saw it from the vehicle and thought it looked awesome so I grabbed my camera and caught a couple of quick shots. It's beautiful art (click on it to get a better view), I'm just hoping there is no gang significance to it since I am posting it to my gang affiliation free blog.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is a tough day as it would have been my father's 60th birthday if he were alive today. He died way too early, at the age of 40. He left behind a loving wife and three kids. I was 15, my sister was 12, and my brother was just 7 at the time of his passing. I am so grateful for the precious time I got to spend with him. I have such a wealth of rich memories from being a child and the things I got to do with my father and how he loved me so much. I think about what an amazing grandfather he would have been to my two boys. They would have had an absolute blast being with him and knowing him--I can just see him on the floor giving them "horsey" rides, wrestling, and tickling each other. He would have built them a big treehouse in the backyard. I think the way I am most like my father is the love and passion I have for my family. It's just the way he felt about us. His love for me inspires me to be a better husband and father. His short life reminds me that each day is so very precious and to shower your family with all the love that you have.

I remember the last time I saw him alive. A family friend picked me up early from church that night and took me to the hospital where my mother, our pastor, and several people from church were already in his hospital room. The pastor asked me what my favorite memory of my father was and I broke down in tears, unable to answer. Words were said by some, prayers were prayed, and people slowly left the room. I stood as a statue in the room, not wanting to move or leave that place. It was just me and my dad one last time. His illness had taken so much from him, his ability to communicate, his ability to recognize us, his appearance, he was a shell of his former self. His eyes were filled with a look of pain and confusion and he was struggling for air. I remember going over to him two separate times to give him a big hug, to kiss him, and to tell him that I loved him as tears streamed down my face. It was at that moment that I felt with all my being that a heavy weight was lifted from him. The deep look of pain and struggle was visibly lifted from him. His eyes at that moment were filled with a true peace. At that moment I could feel his love for me and felt like he knew it was okay to let go. The pastor came in and told me it was time to go.

As my mother and I drove home I asked her if dad made it through the night, could I skip school the next day and sit with him at the hospital. She said she would think about, but she probably knew he wasn't going to make it til the morning. Around 2 or 3 in the morning on January 9, 1989, my dad went to be with the Lord. I was numb as my mom and I made our way back to the hospital. It didn't really hit me until my mother had me call a family friend from the hospital to tell them that my father had passed away. I don't remember if I was even able to get the words from my mouth. I didn't go to the funeral home to see my father. I wanted the last time I saw him to be while he was still living and breathing. He had a closed casket at his funeral. I think he had threatened my mom that he would jump out of his casket and get her if she had an open casket funeral for him. She didn't want to take any uneccessary chances. I remember thinking I had to be strong at his funeral, and how violently and painfully my jaw shook as I clinched it in an attempt to hold my tears in. It would have been so much better for me to have just let it all out.

My dad is my hero. My dad was the best in every way and I miss him every day. I am eternally grateful for the awesome memories I have of him. The pictures posted today are from right around the time I was born, just months before he graduated from Oklahoma State University. More picture will be posted tomorrow of him.

Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!

Sunrise on the Bay

Here are a couple shots I took just after sunrise when I was in San Francisco last month. I really love the colors in these pictures.

Veteran's Day

On my blog today, Veteran's Day, are two pictures in memory of my Gramps who served in World War II, and a picture in honor of my father-in-law who served in Korea and Vietnam. The bottom picture is Gary Fahle (on the left) in Vietnam. Photo credits unknown.

Chihuly Collection

Here are a few pictures I took a couple months ago at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. These pictures are just a sample of the amazing Chihuly collection at the museum. Go check it out sometime!

CCTV Headquarters

While in Beijing this past July, we took a taxi out to see the big Olympic sites--the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. On our way, we passed by the CCTV (China Central Television) Headquarters which was and is under construction. I snapped a few quick shots from the cab as we zoomed by. It is a truly amazing structure. I'm not too sure I would want to office out there in the unsupported area.

Josh and Bonny

Here are a couple pics I took of Josh and Bonny at the Golden Gate Bridge when we were all in San Fran. The walk across the bridge was cold and windy but was fun. The San Fran area is the most bridge having place I have ever been to. You can't drive 200 yards without running into some two-mile long bridge. Yea for sweet bridges, and yea for no earthquakes while we were on them.

Random

I was out walking around OCU's campus last week with my camera just for fun. I wandered a few blocks away from campus and found this overgrown tree and liked how the sun was coming through it. The leaves were a beautiful bright yellow, but I really liked the picture better converted to black and white.

More Pumpkins

Earlier in October, Big C got down to some serious artwork on a few pumpkins. He had a lot of fun drawing on the pumpkins. He's a great little artist! He was very shocked later in the week though when he came home from school and discovered rain had erased his awesome work.

Pumpkin Carving

So, we didn't actually carve any pumpkins until Nov. 1, but it was still a lot of fun. The boys drew on some cool faces and cleaned the guts out, I took care of the carving, and Jana provided the candles and flames. It's great being outside this time of year when we are having great weather.