Happy Birthday Dad!

Yesterday, Chuck Wall turned 60. My Dad is a very unassuming man but actually really complex if you take the time and pay attention to him. He has the strangest combination of favorite things. Here's a few- Hot rods, funnycar racing, basketball, the Beach Boys, Doo-wop, The Muppet Show, WWII, Sci-fi, VS catalogues, really bad Martin Lawrence movies, Vienna Fingers, old, stale Peeps, and the Blue Man Group.

My Dad tried to get us kids to enjoy his favorite pasttimes. I played on the Our Lady of Grace basketball team for two years with him as my coach. Our team was pretty good. However, I really sucked. I hate any sport that involves balls. I think I made two baskets the entire time I was on the team. One was by accident. I did get my love of all things mechanical from him, my lifelong interest in WWII and Sci-fi. And this year I am hoping to work on a project with him restoring a vintage motorcycle we have stored in a shed.

My father loves restoring old cars. He used to race them when he was younger. He finally got his dream job when he started working for a mechanic eight years ago. It's what he has wanted to do his entire life.

He's a much different man now than when I was younger. He and I went head-to-head on a daily basis and to be honest I really couldn't stand him until I was in my twenties. I'm thankful for the chance to be able to get to know him as an adult. As I get older, so much of his behavior that was completely baffling and hurtful, is finally beginning to make sense.