Last Sunday in 2008

[tony barnhill]

A friend called us y'day & invited us to their home this afternoon - all their children, childrens' spouses & grandchild are home for Christmas for the first time in 3 years. I've known these kids since before they were teenagers and am so proud of them.

The eldest son is an electrical engineer with NASA & owns several homes that he rents. Not married yet but I met his finacee today.

2nd son is a Captain in the Army - 1st Cav helicopter pilot. Has been back from Iraq about a year & is heading back over in May 2009 time frame. His wife and 2 year old son are great people (little guy always wants to visit "Colonel's" garage when they visit his grandparents & wanted to know today if he could go home with me to 'drive your racecar'!). She has a masters degree in education but stays home with the boy. I've known her since they started dating back while they were in college. I was part of Steve's Eagle Scout project and participated in his Eagle Scout ceremony.

3rd child, the only girl, is just back from Afghanistan. She's a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps. Her husband, also an Army 1st Lieutenant (Ranger, etc.) is just back from Iraq. They're in Virginia right now and own a condo in Panama City Beach which Jerri & I are going to use for a week next month. And they've just made an offer on a second condo for rental purposes!

4th child and youngest son is a senior in college studying mechanical engineering. While he was in high school, all he wanted to do was get his hands greasy pulling parts from the dead cars in my MG Graveyard. Before he could drive a car he fixed up an old AMF Harley so he could ride over to my house.

Parents have done a great job with their kids and so far the ones who've married have made super choices in spouses! I'm grateful that I had a chance to influence them as they grew up and am more so honored that my friends included Jerri and me in their family holiday festivities.

Alisha, wife of the Army captain, told me in confidence that when Steve's new battalion commander arrived recently, he gave all the officers a professional development assignment to write a paper introducing themselves to him along with their goals and the person who most influenced them in their life so far. She said Steve wrote about me!

D@mn, that's a legacy, guys!! & we had a blast!

 

[Tinster]

Dang it all Tony!!

You just gotta know more left handed, creative folks than
just me!! I'm the only lefty you know?? Or more on point,
maybe the only left handed guy you tolerate!!

have a blast!!

lefty dale

 

[tony barnhill]

Dale - remember, I'm left-handed, Jerri's left-handed & my son-in-law is left-handed...we don't know about grandson yet as he uses whichever hand suits him at the moment!

 

[AweMan]

Hmmmmmm Dale:
Is that why I don`t fit in too many places I go? I use which ever hand suits my needs at the time, Left or Right matters not i`m proficient with either. Welding right or left travel with right or left hand. Use the foot pedal on T.I.G. with either foot. My left handed hand writing suffers a little but is legible. I think they call it ambidextrous. I once worked with a leftie and had a very hard time following his logic in blueprint analysis and fabrication although he did manage to get the job done just not in the fashion or sequence I would have chosen to follow. When eating I always use my right hand for the knife and left for the other utensils, when penning a letter I normally use my right hand. Twisting nuts and bolts I use both hands {sometimes on different nuts or bolts at the same time}
Tony:
How lucky can one family be to have four children and all of them achievers?
Should we all be so lucky!

 

[tony barnhill]

How lucky can one family be to have four children and all of them achievers?

Good Catholic parents, Kerry, who always put their kids before everything else. I mean, whatever the kids were involved with while they were growing up, Rita & Allen made sure they supported and were in attendance at every activity - even if their personal lives, finances or careers were adversely affected - the kids always came first. All 4 kids had to work as teenagers and were expected to make excellent grades (heck, 2 of them got full ROTC scholarships to college!). I remember when I got Steve his 1st job with a friend who owns a local general store...he worked there all through high school & some summers while at college. Later, while going to college fulltime, he was also a fulltime fireman in Auburn, AL!

And the eldest son did his engineering studies on the co-op program, always working in the defense industry here in Huntsville during the semesters when he wasn't attending Georgia Tech.

Good people who should be examples for every parent!

 

[DrEntropy]

Sounds like the "top of the pile" to me.

I was always timid over the next generation or two, but have been constantly impressed by the individual ones I most feared for.

We'll be fine. Our future heroes are living amongst us. Hug 'em and make sure they know we're here.

 

[Banjo]

Dang it all Tony!!

You just gotta know more left handed, creative folks than
just me!! I'm the only lefty you know?? Or more on point,
maybe the only left handed guy you tolerate!!

have a blast!!

lefty dale

He knows me too! (well we've never met in person, but anyhoo)
I'm about 90% lefty. But like Kerry, I find that I do some things right handed. Usually it's because it involves some piece of equipment that is built for righties, and I'm to poor/cheap to buy a modified version. I play instruments right handed, use right handed scissors, and shoot both guns and bows right handed. ( I learned to shoot on a 50 cal Hawkins percussion-style muzzle-loader, and you don't put that right in front of your face!)
I tend to be more of the creative/ art/ hands -on type not the number cruncher/paperwork type. Pre planning is not my strong point.
Course, I don't really know if Tony would tolerate me....hehehehehe.

 

[GregW]

Course, I don't really know if Tony would tolerate me....hehehehehe.

On the other hand, he just might.

 

[DrEntropy]

~GROAN~

 

[Sherlock]

Well, heck Tony, if I were you I'd be proud... For someone to say that...

And I sure don't know that many uber-successful people like the folks you just described...