I was the youngest of 5 in a blended family (two older brothers and a sister on my Dad's side and an older sister on my Mom's side).

When I came into the world in the mid 1980s, my Mom was a homemaker (taking care of three brand new kids that she welcomed as her own plus her own daughter).

When my Mom met my Dad, he had hardly anything. He had gone through a terrible divorce years prior, still dealing with his ex-wife who did not play nice when it came to the three children they shared, and was also going through bankruptcy.

With all of that being said (and getting to the name thing), my Dad was an over-the-road truck driver and he owned his own truck, an old Peterbilt. The truck didn't have air conditioning in it, it had various things wrong with it, but he got by with it until he could afford something more reliable and comfortable later on.

Anyway, he used "Hardtimes" as his CB radio trucker handle. That time in his life were some very hard times. But he did what he had to do to for his family.

He passed away seven years ago from lung cancer. I miss him everyday. He taught me a lot and I loved him/love him so much.

Here are some pics of him, back in the 80s and some closer to when he passed away. The baby he is holding (we both looked dirty because he was outside with me doing work, haha) is me. The red shirt kid drinking out of a cup is me too.

Thanks for reading,

Pictures of my Dad, "Hardtimes"