"Happy Birthday Dad!"

*James Everette Staudt*

My dad was born on November 8, 1931 to

Edna Camille Rukstad Staudt and

 Everette Matthew Staudt

in Watertown, South Dakota.

Lately, I have been thinking about dad's mother and

how she must have felt the first time that she

held him...what were her hopes and dreams for

him? Did she worry about his future and could she have 

ever imagined what an amazing life he would lead?

I think if she could have known that he would someday stand up

for his country in the U.S. Army and become a Master Sergeant,

 get a college education, marry the woman of his dreams,

Monica Rose Schonhoff,

have and provide for seven children, and entrepreneur

a mobile car repair business - "MCAR"

while operating the local skating rink (with our entire family

working there and helping out), become the Captain of

his own boat with a chartering business and later

become the pilot of his own

airplane and retire from the U.S. Government

at the ripe ole age of 55....all of this mixed with

lots of fun and amazing adventures...too many to post here...well,

without a doubt she would have been very pleased about

the paths her son would choose! 

Though I really don't wish to see the future...I am certain that if

dad's mother could have known all of these things she

would have felt a sense of peace and excitement

about the future of this

sweet baby boy she was holding...

knowing that everything was going to be just fine...

                            Now, in 2011, on his 80th birthday -

 Dad and Mom have a legacy of a 58 year marriage,

twenty-nine grandchildren,

19 great-grandchildren...

one of which is his newest name-sake, Luke Everette Aldridge, who

looks remarkably like the above baby picture of Dad -

 (and 1 more on the way)!

What more could a mother hope for

for her child?

Happy Birthday Dad...I love you as high as the sky!

<3 Pats,

*Your favorite daughter

*Mom and Dad did such a wonderful job loving all

seven of us that each and every one of us feels

like we are their favorite!

Though rumor has it that Mike really

is Mom's favorite!  :)

*****

P.S. At the time of this post Mom and Dad had 18 great-grandchildren, but at

12:08 this morning (November 24, 2011) Mason William Pitman

was born to Jason and Amanda Pitman weighing in

at 7 pounds 4 ounces!

A true Thanksgiving Blessing!

Congratulations to the proud parents, grandparents and

of course, great-grandparents!!