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Happy Birthday 2023

Today is my birthday, and I turn 67 years old. Now to some of you and the teenage version on me, that seems pretty old. But I will address that by relaying the words of a t-shirt Shannon bought me when I turned fifty. “Getting old is inevitable, maturing is optional!” I am happy to say I have used this as my motto, and plan to keep it until getting old is no longer evitable.

How about a few Dad Jokes as my present to you?

I only know 25 letters of the alphabet — I just don’t know y.

RIP, boiling water. You will be mist.

My dog is a genius. When I asked him, “What’s two minus two?” He said nothing.

Okay, that’s enough of that. I would like to continue talking about my birthday, since I am the one writing this story, and everything should be about me. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone in my family and they will back me up on that. I would like to talk about some of my best birthday presents. When I was younger, I remember getting a pair of new Adidas basketball shoes, and I was so happy. When I turned 17, I got a new team roping saddle and it was the first saddle I could call my own. I was on cloud nine when I sat on it for the first time. I covered a lot of miles on cattle roundups and competed in many rodeos in that saddle. Every time someone asked me what my favorite birthday present was, this saddle was my response hands down.

In 1982, Shannon and I were trying to pick the date for our wedding. I was working at John Deere and the best time to take off was after spring planting and before the first crop of hay cutting. So, we decided to get married on my birthday. I always told her that was the best day so I wouldn’t forget our anniversary. That birthday was one of best because I became Shannon’s husband and Justin and Ryan’s Dad. It gave me a purpose and direction to my life that I needed so much. 

Since I met Kristi in 2013, every year she always does something special for my birthday. She plans so many fun things and buys me so many thoughtful presents. On my 60th birthday, she planned a huge surprise party at Stockman’s, and had all my friends from basketball and all of my family show up. I was so surprised to walk in and see everyone. That was the best surprise party I have ever had, and I am so grateful to Kristi for making me feel so special and loved.

As I review the last five months of dealing with the medical situation with my knee, the best present for my birthday has been all the love and support I have gotten from all of my family and friends. It has been quite an ordeal to say the least. But it would have been so much worse without the compassion and assistance I have gotten from everyone. This is truly one of the best birthday presents I could ever ask for. Thank you for all of it, and thanks for reading.

P.S. I could still use a brand new truck if you’re still thinking of a gift.

Happy Birthday Jayci

Posted by on October 29, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

Happy Birthday Jayci Thursday was our sweet little Jayci’s 6th birthday. It’s hard to believe she is six years old already. It’s incredible how fast time flies. This week’s story is about the birthday fun we had last weekend with Jayci and her friends. It all started with Brittney coordinating a completely fun filled day. The day started with all of the girls going to Austin Kade to get their hair and nails done. The next step was probably the most important of all. Brittney had arranged to surprise the girls by getting picked up from Austin...

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FIRA-USA Event

Posted by on October 22, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

FIRA-USA Event Before I tell you about the exciting event I was able to take part in this week, I want to send a very special thank you to Amanda Wade, and the Hillcrest Student Council for arranging a breast cancer awareness night for the Shannon Wilker Foundation at the Hillcrest High School football game Friday night. We were able to present a check to Larry Belnap and his family in memory of his wife Terry who passed away from breast cancer on October 11th. The student council also went around the bleachers collecting money from the...

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More Fundraisers

Posted by on October 16, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

More Fundraisers Yesterday was a very good day for the Foundation. It began with the Snake River BMX organization holding a special breast cancer awareness day for the Foundation. They have been doing this for the last few years now, and it gets bigger every year. This year, it was at their new location out by Sandy Downs. They let me set up a booth right by the registration office. I had everything set up ready to go, and they asked me if I would say a few words to the crowd. I always enjoy a chance to tell people about the Foundation, and...

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The Blessings of Community

Posted by on October 8, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

The Blessings of Community Before I begin to talk about our amazing community, I want to thank Berna Deanne’s family, and her community for the sweet, and beautiful tribute to her on Wednesday. It was so very heartwarming. I especially want to thank her daughter Melanie for the life sketch. She did an amazing job and it brought so many smiles and thoughts of love to everyone. It filled my heart with the blessings only family bonds can give you. I want to thank my family for the love, compassion, and strength they have given me in my life. To...

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A Very Special Lady

Posted by on October 1, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

A Very Special Lady The reason I did not post a story last weekend was due to my Mother-In-Law Berna Deanne getting Covid earlier in the week, and then she came down with a case of pneumonia. This caused her to get admitted to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello. I drove down to see her on Thursday, and she said she was feeling a little better. She told me she just wanted to go home and be with her cats. When I called her on Friday, she told me the doctor had released her to go home, but the nurses in Rehab wanted to send her to...

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A Very Special Limo Ride

Posted by on September 18, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

A Very Special Limo Ride This week’s story is a follow-up to the story I posted three weeks ago titled “An Inspirational Young Man.” It was about a seventeen your old young man that was diagnosed with terminal cancer. When Kristi and I took the first check over to his grandmother, she told us that one of the events the young man really wanted to attend was prom. I told the grandmother I wanted to take him to prom in a limousine. When the grandmother asked me if I was sure, I explained the owners of the limo company love to do things like that...

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Eastern Idaho State Fair 2022

Posted by on September 11, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

Eastern Idaho State Fair 2022 Well, the Fair has come and gone for another year, and it had another great turnout. Kristi and I decided we would go down early on Monday, before the crowd got too big and it got too hot. I usually park across from the stockyards because it’s still pretty close and it’s free. We arrived a little after 10:00 and the parking across from the stockyards was already full. We drove past every place that was free and there wasn’t any place that wasn’t already full. I knew we were going to do a lot of walking, and I...

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Happy Labor Day 2022

Posted by on September 3, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

Happy Labor Day 2022 For this week’s story, I just wanted to do a short little story about how Labor Day started and it’s importance in our lives. Labor Day is an annual celebration of the economic achievements of American workers. The holiday started in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in...

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An Inspirational Young Man

Posted by on August 27, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

An Inspirational Young Man This week Kristi learned that one of her friends found out their 17 year-old Grandson has a rare form of terminal cancer, and the doctors told them his life expectancy would be less than one year. They were given the options of aggressive treatment that might extend the young man’s life by a few months, or they could go a little less invasive and give him a better quality of life. The Grandma called Kristi and told her she had heard about the Foundation. She asked if the Foundation would be able to put her in touch...

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Fun with Jayci

Posted by on August 21, 2022 in Journal | 0 comments

Fun with Jayci Let me start this week’s story by sharing an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. “I asked my Dad to take me to the zoo. He said, If they want you, they’ll come and get you.” That is the lead into our day with Jayci. Kristi and I had told Jayci, the next time we had her, we would take her to the zoo. It had been a long time since Kristi and I had been to the zoo, so we were both looking forward to taking her. When we arrived at the zoo, Jayci told us she would lead the way. She headed straight for the penguins, and then we made our way...

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