Happy birthday "Admiral"

Happy Birthday “Admiral”.  This young man entered our lives when he was 15 years old.  He and “Mini Me” were high school sweethearts.  They were apart for a few years and drifted back together a little over four years ago.   I will tell you that he is one of the most frustrating and loveable people in our family.  I have rarely met a guy with as big of heart as this one.  You can’t help but love him.  It gets him in trouble too though. 

I think he has garnished the some of the most memorable stories in his relatively short time in our family.  Every year, I head to “Mommy’s” early in December for a Christmas shopping marathon.  It is a hectic weekend, but we have a lot of fun together .  It is supposed to be my time away from the daily grind.  Somehow, that never seems to happen.

A few years ago while on my holiday excursion, I got a call from “Mini Me” threatening my life if I ever left her home alone with her siblings, husband and father again.  That one begs the question, Why, what happened?”

Have I mentioned that we live on a farm?  This means that at this time of the year, we have a lot of deer on our property.  “the Admiral” gets about as crazy as “Doc” with the concept of hunting.  They are both decked out in camo and blaze orange every year.  And, they both go and sit in trees on our property.  I distinctly remember the day one of the boys called and asked where dad was.  My answer was simple.  “I don’t know.  I think he has been sitting in a tree since about 5:00 am.”  “But mom, it’s noon, aren’t you worried?”  “No, he comes in periodically for coffee.”  “Doc” and the “Admiral are very much alike. The “Admiral” has been monitoring a tree camera for weeks. 

Back to the story.  Apparently, as he was coming up the driveway, the “Admiral” spotted a deer.  While in the car, he pulled out his weapon and shot.  Did you ever wonder what a gunshot sounds like in a tin can?  Ask the “Admiral”, he can hear again, so he will answer you.  He was pretty sure he hit his target, but it took off.  He hurried to the house and came in to get “Doc” to help him track it in our utility vehicle. 

First things first, he had to use the bathroom.  While he was waiting for “Doc” he hurried into the mudroom bathroom.  Apparently he overflowed the toilet, which no one realized until “Doc” slid across the mudroom in an inch or so of water.  Water flows downhill.  Below the mudroom is a large storage and mechanical room.  Everything was soaked.  While “Doc” yelled, everyone available, emptied everything from storage.  “Mini Me” thought her father had completely overreacted and I got my phone call.  By the time I got home a few days later, everything was still in the garage and guess who got to put it all back!  Yep, me.

I am not really sure what the moral to any of this is.  I still shake my head when I recall the weekend.  But anyway, Happy Birthday “Admiral”.  We are happy to have you in our family.  We share a common bond of love for my daughter and grandchildren.  God grant you many years!!!