Happy Birthday DaD!

Some how we let my dad's 60th birthday sneak up on us. With only a week left I rallied the troops. A whirlwind of Emails turned into an organized effort and suddenly we had a Surprise Birthday party in the works. I was nominated to create the invitations and send out the Evites. I collected nearly a hundred Email addresses of people that we wanted to include plus my mom compiled a list of addresses to send out the old fashioned way - printed invitations! My sister Mindy gathered some pictures and Cecil-isms (see below) into a book, but apparently it did not arrive before the party. Bummer! Lots of friends a family across the country could not come but it was fun to gather their Birthday Wishes through Emails and comments on Evite. Matt, Cami, Jill and myself were included in the surprise via phone as my dad was blasted with silly string. Hopefully someone took some pictures since the shutterbugs of the family (Cami and I) were not in attendance. The furious Email storm produced the following list of reasons why we think our dad is the Best! ***** This list is for Documentation and Entertainment Purposes Only. ***** ***** This should, in NO way, be Viewed as ***** ***** Justification for Future Projects. ***** “A little oil, a little air and away it goes!” Peanuts and Root beer Mayo or Peanutbutter enhances EVERY meal Lemon Juice concoctions Spaghetti / hotdog pancakes Scoutmaster 13 hour trips to Mesa that would take Way longer Packing at least one extra spare tire because we ALWAYS had a flat tire on trips Braking the bead on a tire by running over it with the van CB radios - talking to the truckers to stay awake on those LONG vacation drives His CB Handle - Cheetah (The fast cat) His CB Call Sign - KBPN8572 (Why do I remember that?!) Family History Best Grandpa Ever Avid proponent of irrigation, in the city! Fugal, frugal, frugal Grocery list in order of the aisles in the grocery store He let Corey buy a motorcycle at age 13 = Best dad ever! Built an attic room, mostly out of collected materials Hairbrush / Towel on a rope Cooking food well beyond normal to satisfy the delicate Cecil palate Temporary sheds made out of anything that may hold back the elements The wood pile! - And summer wood collecting trips The Apache pop-up trailer The homemade food storage rack "Pretty AND Good" Bags made out of pant legs Rugs made out of old Levis “Cheeky” Old shoelaces as sleeping bag ties Old shoelace as a strap for a water bottle on a hike Door mats as irrigation ditch liners Wooden wheels on vacuums Wooden wheels on lawn mowers New shoes that make you "run fast and jump high" Curt's first bike- with carpet wrapped around the center bar because he was too little for the seat (he was only three) Night's we ALL slept in the water bed when Mom was at the hospital with the newest Burk Always a story for any willing ear about some maintenance problem and something about one of his kids he is proud of. Mindy's Colt Car with a doorbell jerry rigged for the horn and a piece of garden hose for the inside door handle. Electric tiller that was once a gas tiller jerry rigged w/ a power supply so it can be plugged in and switched on. It's very quiet and doesn't smell, but its verrrrrrry slow The drinking fountain compressor converted to a bike pump The Ford Escort...I don't know how that thing is still running. The Vans! What else can you say? Potato and inverted potato - the VANs that never stop Using strands of Christmas lights for everyday lighting in the basement. Designing the basement kitchen around the cabinets from the old house. Peanut butter or mayonnaise jars as nail and screw containers. Attaching a motorcycle motor to the ride-in toy VW rabbit car (Do you remember this? I can't figure out how exactly to word it) Entire yard landscaped from discarded bushes, trees, and sod Two sheds made from collected lumber Newspaper collecting Using the old Lagoon tickets to organize the newspaper collecting routes Professional kitchen grade stainless steel roof The riding lawn mower that must be over 25 years old! 100% (or extremely darn close) HomeTeaching Christmas bells on his shoes 100% Selfless Service Best “Jack-of-All-Trades" and "Fix-it-Man" I know The Sweaters Collection of Golf Logo Shirts even though he has never played golf Furniture previously owned by the church (some already mentioned) The vinyl blue flowered couch The padded folding chairs The high council table and chairs The VCRs The banquet tables Loving Proud Squash season Family camping trips every year Always willing to help with school projects the night before they're due Solving math problems – His Way! Tinker Aluminium – Al U Min E Um Prolvo Trousers Swim Trunks Tellie Taking all the scrap metal from the remodel of the churches that were just going to be thrown away and allowing Curtis to sell it to earn a little extra money in college A letter each an every week of my mission – telling me about the fun things he had done at work each week Has told more people about Curt's triathlons then Curtis ever has. Doorbell garage door opener Build trailer with scrap metal and scrap wood to carry all of his scrap things. Stroller with 2x8 bottom holds 3 grand kiddies We Love You Dad! Happy Birthday!