This is Randy. He is the epitome of hard work. On work days he is a hard rock miner; in daily life he is an amazing father and husband, full of determination, has this amazing ability to see something done and then be able to replicate it almost instantly. He is strong, capable, a doer. He is resolved, resolute and maybe a bit stubborn too. Let me tell you a little bit more about our fearless leader, our voice of reason and the brains behind our operation.
Hard Rock Miner
Do you know what a hard rock miner is? Because I didn't until I met Randy. On work days these miners pull up their bootstraps, slip into their slickers, throw a reflective shirt on their back and strap a hard hat with a single light to their heads. They step into a shaft (elevator) with the purpose of going DOWN...thousand and thousands of feet down...in the dark. All to break rock so we can have necessities like phones, computers, computer chips and so much more.
Did you also know that it is HOT underground? Like 110°+ with a ventilation system going. The other day he came home and told me he worked in an area that was so hot, that when they came up and hit an area that was bout 70°, he was freezing cold.
It's also super wet underground - something else I didn't know. Randy has worked in areas where it was hard to see what he was doing because water was just pouring down on him like a shower.
It is a dirty job, a physical job, a really, really hard job. But Randy is good at his job because of the reasons I listed above. He is a very hard worker and when things inevitably come up, he finds a solution.
Skills
Randy is a doer at home too. As I am writing this he is on his first day off of work and he is on a tractor cutting hay for our horses in nearly 90° heat. His morning was riddled with annoying set backs and when he called to tell me about them, he just laughed it off and kept going. In his mind, it's all you can do - smile and keep going.
Haying is our main project right now, but our next big project will be adding on to our house. And he will willingly work hard on that project with every moment he can spare. Challenges will come up, set backs will arise, but he will find a way to solve the problem. I know this because I have watched him build a porch on to our house, an equipment shed, a beautiful barn and a flower studio for me. And as I watch (and help as much as I can) him build on to our house, I will look with amazement and wonder at the skill in which he finishes his work and look forward to watching him and helping him build our forever home on our property. He is determined and rarely takes, "No, that isn't possible" as an acceptable answer. It's one of the things I most admire about him.
Another amazing skill that Randy employs is this uncanny ability to see how something is done and put together and then be able to replicate it almost immediately. As I said before, he can construct buildings, sheds, and barns, build doors, shelves and furniture. He can weld and he can fix equipment. All these abilities come from his "can-do" attitude. He doesn't give up and he keeps trying until he gets it right.
Fatherhood
But what I most admire about this man is what an amazing father (and husband) he is. He loves his boys with his whole being. Everything he does is for them and our little family. Everything he does is done to offer them more opportunity, to do the the things they love, to give them the chance to learn something new and valuable. He does what he does to offer us the best he can.
These boys of ours are always first. Randy sacrifices whatever he needs to, to get them what they need to be there for them no matter what. He loves to wrestle with them, tickle and tease them and just relax and watch a movie with them. But if something has them sad or upset, look out because Randy is fiercely protective and always willing to comfort them for however long they need. He really is the best.
In Closing
So that is Randy, as I see him. I hope you feel like you know a bit more of who the brains of our operation is. The voice of reason and logic in our family. The hard worker, the determined go getter, and a bit about the amazing father and husband we as a family know he is. He really is "One of the Good Ones" in my book.
