Because I miss him...

This is the last picture I have with my Papa. It was taken this July 4th at his home on the lake. Though he was sick and exhausted from his cancer and treatment, he managed to keep his great smile all day long!

A few years back my grandparents started hosting what became the largest, most incredible fireworks display ever by just normal people (without hiring it out)... I use this term 'normal' lightly, the amount of time and money into these fireworks would make any 'normal' person crazy and broke!

My Papa loved his family and loved his country, therefore the 4th of July was just the perfect holiday to combine and celebrate them both! Not to mention his (sometimes not so secret) love for taking a great fireworks display from the neighbors, and after praising them and making them feel really good about it... Walk over to the boys and say, "Show 'em what it's supposed to look like!" My Dad described this attitude in relation to the entire Baumgartner family as, "Anything worth doing, is worth over-doing"... Let's just say there isn't another motto out there that yet fits this group as perfectly.

Is there anything better than spending the day with family and friends, great fellowship and conversation with a beautiful lake to swim, canoe or paddle through... Reciting the flag salute, "under God", before dinner and then bundling up and enjoying the fireworks over the dock? Don't even waste your time trying to answer, there isn't. ;)

Papa went home a bit more than a month after this picture. It's often so much easier to still just think that our schedules don't allow visits or that he's away on an extended fishing trip... but I'm not that great at convincing myself of this anymore.

I just miss him.