Happy! Happy! Birthday to K!

This handsome, fun, gregarious, funny guy is 28 years old today!  

He also happens to be my son-in-law, and I will always relish the laughter he has brought to our family.  So it is now his turn to read The Top 5 Things I Love About K!

# 5 - K has been in more parades than anyone else I personally know.  See K loves military vehicles.  He is even part of the MVPA (Military Vehicle Preservation Association in case you are not up on your acronyms) and has helped to restore as well as drive and feature many of them in parades and fairs.  Have you ever even thought about who makes is possible for the military trucks and 5 tons and half tracks to show up at parades and fairs?  Have you ever even known that they were called 5 tons and half tracks?  Me neither.  Until I met Mr. K here, and now I know.  Not only about that stuff but I can say that I know someone who is in high demand on the parade circuit.

# 4 - K's connections.  We kid K all the time about his "website" khasconnections.com.  Cause the guy does.  Need a crane?  K's got one.  Need an army truck to help you move?  K's on it.  Need anything for a gun?  K's your man.  You remember that Chevy Super Bowl commercial from 2012 of the 4 guys that drive up after the Mayan apocalypse?  That would be K and his 4 main peeps, C, B and M.  I'm jus' sayin'.

# 3 - K's trains.  Cause who couldn't love a man who loves trains?  Especially a man who loves trains like K does.  And like his daddy before him, K is passing his love onto little J-man here.

# 2 - K's posts. K posts on FB.  K posts on FB a lot.  Like more than you see associated with his name.  K is like a social media admin extraordinaire, posting for multiple FB pages.  The man even knows how to line up and schedule posts.  Talk about a man with connections!  But it's more than this that I love about K and his posts.  K posts what he believes.  And he ain't afraid to post what he believes even if it ain't so much the most politically correct belief.  K has thought long and hard about ideas and their implications.  So while he is holding positions that may be unusual for a 28-year old man to hold, he knows why he believes as he does; and he works to not only express those beliefs but also make those beliefs a reality.  I have much to learn from K, especially along these lines.  I tend to be afraid of offending people.  K isn't.

And the # 1 Thing That I Love about K...

# 1 - His heart for people.  K is a doer.  If he can help you, he will.  He clearly loves his family and does the right thing for them because it's the right thing to do.  K has so many interests and hobbies that he is NEVER bored!  Nor does he truly have "spare" time.  But unlike some men with their hobbies, K uses those to help others, to share with others, to build connections with others.   K has the wisdom to see that the hobby is not the end in and of itself.  The hobby or the interest is meant to be shared.

So now - for the man who has more connections than anyone I know - trying to articulate the Top 5 Things I Would Give K if Time, Money and Resources Were No Object...

# 5 - Waffles.  Cause he likes them.  And he has a waffle iron.  Oh and bacon to go with the waffles.  Oh!  Wait!  K likes cheesecake, too.  Maybe Bacon Waffles with Cheesecake filling...hmmmm...I'll have to think on that one!

# 4 - K's Train Shed.  His very own, real-life train shed with a roundhouse, and the name would be "K's Train Shed."  And he could have all of his train preservation guys come over and restore trains.  Yes, I mean the real trains that people ride in.  But there would also be a building...er, buildings?...where model trains are kept and updated.  Cause that's fun, too!

# 3 - A separate garage behind his house so that he could still use his house garage for parking the everyday cars, but he had a working garage for rebuilding golf carts or restoring army trucks and tanks.  I kinda sorta think this would be a gift for his wife, S, as well.

# 2 - A train dining car that serves waffles.  Wouldn't that be fun?!

And The # 1 Thing I Would Give K For His Birthday if Time, Money and Resources Were No Object...

# 1 - His very own train, of course!  And I'd make sure I included his very own conductor overalls and hat, and little J-man would have matching conductor overalls and hat for every year until he was all grown up like his daddy.  Oh, and PS - one of the cars on the train would be a traveling spa for S and her fellow train wives so that they could get manis and pedis and massages and drink cocktails while their husbands were busy being conductors!

We love you, K!  We are so glad to call you family!  We hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!