Happy Birthday to my oldest friend

"Try to capture what you can't bear to be without." -Rosie Thomas, Iris and Ruby

This picture was taken at the entrance to Disneyland what seems like many moons ago! My grandpa has (had?) a friend who designed Space Mountain and other rides at Disneyland and got us in free! Knowing the man responsible for the awesomeness that is Space Mountain was pretty cool, especially at the age of 12. I wish I was less shy back then, otherwise I would have picked his brain about what all went into making a roller coaster at Disneyland and the science behind it. He may have told me but my pre-teen mind wasn't interested in physics and engineering. I was interested in riding the damn thing.

Today is my Grandpa Roger's 80th birthday!! Born in 1932, he has lived such a rich life so far. Full of love, adventure, heartache, joy, and many, many good days. I called him today after work to wish him a happy birthday. He was out at a bar, hootin' and hollerin' with his best buddies. The perfect way to celebrate 80 years on this earth! Looking forward to seeing him in a few weeks to give him a big birthday hug and tell him how much he means to everyone.