Pink Flamingo!

What? Why did you get a pink flamingo tattooed to your wrist?


Well it’s a funny story, not really it’s a little sad, but it is helping me cope. When I was a little girl, about 7 or so, my mom asked me what I wanted to get my dad for his birthday. I looked around the store we were in and they had the most beautiful pink flamingo lawn ornaments and my dad had to have them. So we purchased the flamingos and on my dad’s birthday he unwrapped the best birthday gift he ever received in his entire life. He proudly displayed those pink flamingos and they traveled with us from house to house. As I got older it was an ongoing joke between my father and I about the pink flamingos. Every time I saw one I bought it for him.

One of the other “special things” my dad and I had was Toby Keith! He loved Toby and whenever Toby had a new CD I would purchase 2 copies, one for me and one for dad. I would always rush over that weekend and we would listen to his new album together. About a month or so after dad passed, Toby released a new cd. I was so sad that I could not share it with my dad, I went to the store on Tuesday morning and purchased my single copy of Toby’s new CD. I opened up the case and right on the front of the CD was a pink flamingo! I cried and laughed and cried and laughed some more.

I miss my daddy every day and sometimes feel like I’m losing some of my memories of him. My dad was the most spectacular man, he raised me on his own from the time I was 12 to the day I got married. He instilled so much in me and all I want to do is make him proud. Whenever I’m sad, missing him or not sure what to do I can look at my flamingo and think of dad!