Mixed Up Media Chix Birthday Blog Hop -- and Friends With Flair!

Maria Levine - http://riacreations.blogspot.com
Laurie Finch - http://www.lifeandlafter.wordpress.com
Tracy Easson -http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.co.uk/
Julie Odil -- http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com
Sally Lynn MacDonald - http://www.sallylynnmacdonald.com
Francine Rossoni - http://www.thevellumjar.blogspot.com
Rebecca Daniels - www.bloomingpink.blogspot.com

Hello, everyone, and happy Friday! You should have arrived here from the beautiful and uber talented Tracy's blog.

I've always been one to just "go with it" and not follow directions very well.  It was AFTER I got my piece ready for today that I remembered it was supposed to be a birthday themed hop.  Oh well.  I'm the artist. And not very good at directions!  But hey, I'm going to tie it all together, I promise!

Back on July 9, 1930, a very special man was born. That same special man died on March 11, 2014.  This art journal page is in his memory.

My father lived his 83 years to their fullest, making many friends and touching many lives.  I think this quote describes him well.  He LIVED all of his wild and precious days.  He didn't just exist.

I included some poppies on this page because red was his favorite color.  He wore it often, and whenever he bought flowers for my mother, they were always red. Plus, he was the one in the family with a green thumb.

See all those butterflies?  He's there, finding his way to heaven, watching over me as he goes. Into the rainbow cloud.

This is the last photo I have of my Dad.  It was taken 4 days before he died.  He was always smiling and joking.  I'll miss that smile!

All stamps used are by Unity Stamp Company.  I used acrylic paints, a Studio Calico mask, Faber-Castell Pitt pens, and a variety of Tim Holtz distress inks.

I'd like to leave you with the eulogy I gave at my father's funeral last Saturday, but I realize not all of you may want to read it, so here's the link to the talented Sally's blog if you'd like to hop ahead.

If you're still with me, here's my tribute to my father:

First, I want to thank you all for coming.  Our dad was such a humble man.  He would have been so surprised at the number of people here today.  I remember his 80^th birthday party.  He was so nervous beforehand, thinking no one would come.  I reminded him that he and mom’s 50th anniversary had over 300 guests.  His response, “they were all there because of your mother.”  As I said, he was a very humble man.

Dad had a great sense of adventure, and was a bit of a daredevil.  He passed this on to his children.  We were both waterskiing on the front of his skis by age 3, and by the time we were 4, we were on our own.  Mom, who was not so adventurous, had many frightening moments through the years watching her children climb trees, scale cliffs, run marathons, complete Ironmans.  We both got that from our father.

Dad loved to ride his bike.  He was riding 20 and 30 miles a day well into his 70’s.  He finally stopped after he crashed one too many times, but he missed it terribly.  That’s when he started walking.  Even last summer, he was walking 2-3 miles each day.  People would see him all over the streets of Chetek, pushing his walker, smiling and waving, sitting down when he got tired.  I got many phone calls of people checking on my dad, making sure I knew he was so far from home, or asking if I would pay his tab later for the coffee he had just charged.  Oh the joys of living in “small town Chetek”.

Dad had a green thumb, and took great pride in his yard.  He and his neighbor in Eau Claire, Bob, had quite a competition to see who’s yard was greener and who’s was the most perfectly mown.  He loved his yard and spent hours watering, fertilizing, and mowing it.

He loved to sing.  He sang in choirs for years.  He enjoyed his years in the E.C. Male Chorus, and the Hope Lutheran Choir.  One of the hardest things he gave up was the choir at Hope.  He was a member for over 50 years, and took great pride in the bass section. 

He and mom spent at least 12 winters in Mesa, AZ.  I often visited them there.  We loved to go on hikes in the desert.  One of those winter visits, we hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, spent a night at Phantom  Ranch, and hiked back up.  This is no easy hike.  Depending on the route, it is 12 miles there, and a shorter, but steeper, 10 mile return trip.  My parents were in their late 60’s at the time, the oldest ones in the entire ranch by 20 years.  We were all very proud of their accomplishment.  Dad wore a shirt with pride for many years that said “I made it to the bottom and back”.  He always said, “I earned it!”

In closing, I want to share one of my most special memories of Dad.  Not too long ago, while riding with me in the car, he turned to me and said, “You know, Julie, I feel bad.”  “Why?” I asked.  “Some nights I fall asleep before I get my prayers finished.”  Well, that just touched me. “Some nights, I fall asleep before I finish my prayers.”  Wouldn't  this world be a better place if we all fell asleep while praying?  Thank you, Dad, for the many lessons in life you taught me.

Thanks for hanging until the end, my blog friends, now off to Sally's blog.  Enjoy the hop!