August 23rd, 1947 - John Mark Drexler was born. August 23rd, 2009 - His oldest daughter (me!) totally forgets to post about it on the blog. Doh! Yes, dad's 62nd birthday was last Sunday and sadly it was not his favorite birthday. Why, you ask? Simple answer - no pie. I called him on his birthday to see how it went and all he did for that 20 min conversation was go on and on about the fact that no one gave him any pies. I began to question him on this, knowing full well that answer I was about to receive would just make me laugh and shake my head at his insanity, but I just had to know what he meant about the pies. In his old age, he has become more shameless than ever before. Blatantly telling his congregation, truly anyone who would listen, for weeks prior to his birthday that all he wanted for his birthday was pie. And, since his birthday fell on a Sunday, he woke up that morning, expecting to come home with 6-7 pies that he could enjoy that afternoon when he got home. This was not to be, because most logical people thought, "Surely this man isn't bold enough to ask us outright for pies. He must be joking." They were wrong. I asked him, "Did you get any well wishes or anything?" Oh, yes, he got many cards, lots of birthday wishes, even candy and a couple gifts, but was he satisfied. Of course not, because all he wanted was pie. The days following, he continued to complain about his lack of pies. So much so that 3 different people that week provided him with pies. This calmed the beast inside of him and he was much happier. Fully able now to enjoy his cards and gifts from the kind people of his church. I tell you this story, not just for an opportunity to mock my father, which is indeed one of my favorite things to do, but also to give you a glimpse into the life of my father that began back in 1947. Through the stories he shares with me, that I in turn share with you, you can see that he was quite an ornery child. Always full of humor, but definitely a bit rambunctious. That humor and craziness has not died down as he's gotten older. If anything it has gotten worse and more hilarious. So yes, I forgot to post about his birthday and am here now posting a week late. But, as you can see, I got so caught up in his silly pie escapade, that it completely slipped my mind. But, I share with you now some pictures, not previously posted here, of my dad when he was a kid.
This is one my favorites of his early years. Such an absolute cutie. No one would've suspected that he would one day grow up and take knives to the door frames of his kitchen in an attempt to be Ramar of the Jungle.
Here he is in kindergarten. I do believe that little unevenness in his hair was caused by his attempt to cut it that morning, if I'm not mistaken. Think he looks a little like my Noah here. :-)
Here he is with his 2 older sisters. Ready to enjoy the winter cold.
And, a teenager, playing his most beloved game of baseball. Who one day would forego all his wishes and dreams for just a few moments of pie nearly half a century later. Love you dad and hope your next birthday is filled with everything you want and more!
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