Thanks Ham Bone, but you know you jhave my dream car as well
I often get asked how I do, why I do or what I do and Emma brought that memory back up to me so I will share with you now as this thread is more personal than just a build to me.
I wear many hats. I am a certified homebuilder in the State of Alabama and have been for 20 years and currently am. I also have worked in a Federal Prison running an inmate work crew for the past 20 years, before that I was a Marine. I spent a little time in college and before that I worked so working is pretty much all I have ever know from hauling pulp wood to saw milling to construction.
9 years ago I was enjoying a booming housing market, a great full time job with benefits, plenty of money but I worked all the time. I was single, never married, never had kids and had money to burn but no time to burn it, which wasn't a bad thing, so I saved. I occassionally helped people but pretty much worked.
I started this truck 9 years ago this week, yes nine years ago. At that time My Aunt whom I dearly loved, my Mama, my Uncle and a few others who shaped my life were all live, all these people I dearly and truly loved. Today they are all gone.
6 years ago the wonderful lady I was dating at the time, her sister fell ill with a wonderful disease called Cancer, well we all know how this ends. Luckily for me she had 2 children ages 4 and 7 staring me and Kelley right in the face. I had never been a Dad before but wham here I was instant Dad. I say luckily because it changed my life and the way I thought about things.
So for the past 6 years like clock work 1 by 1 each year sometimes twice a year someone we truly and deeply loved and passed on. I am 42 years old and decided when my Mama passed 3 years ago that all the money in the bank did me know good. I had put all of my effort into work, being the good employee, doing a good job, worrying about that kind of thing.
Now I worry about little league, I worry about if my car is shiny enough. I worry about things that don't matter one little bit.
I do things for total strangers that I do not even know. Why? Because I can and it makes me feel good.
This is the reason I call my Camaro Dr Jkel Dr for Drew the youngest , J is for Jordan the Oldest and Kel is for Kelley my Sweety. So they have a part of my car.
The boys thought it would be cool if we had a Mr Hide to go along with Dr Jkel so that is why I call this truck Mr. Hide.
Sorry to be so Long Just a little insight.
John