You guys have plans?

This past Saturday, my dad called and asked if Sarah and I had any plans for Christmas. We told him that we'd planned on staying in Denver. He then asked, "Hey, wanna go to Panama?" He confessed that he had not looked into flights or hotels, was unsure of the country's primary language, and knew nothing more about the area other than the existence of a canal of some sort. I had to ask. "Dad, why Panama?"

My dad has two great passions in life. This first is taking a random idea and running with it. When I was in high school, he decided to open an oil change/mechanic shop. Since my father was somewhat familiar with the locations of both the glove compartment and the hood release on his 10 year old Mazda, this was an obvious business venture. Lipka's Kwik Kar Hwy 6 North opened in 1996. My dad came in every Saturday to offer advice on how to keep the shop as clean as possible. Ideas such as "Try not to get any oil on the floor" were met with nods of approval and mumblings of "Great idea, boss. Wish we'd have though of that." The shop was successful and sold for a profit in 2000.

A few years later, he chose real estate as his next project. This was before HGTV began airing episodes of "Ew, This Kitchen is Soooo Dated" and "These Drapes Just Won't Do," so his jaunt into flipping houses came prior to it becoming a trend. Again, my father proved to be successful. He retired from his primary career in the oil and gas industry and has started a home building business to keep from driving my mom insane (it's kind of working).

The other aspect of life that brings my dad the greatest joy? Puns. A few years ago, he took my mom and brother to Belize for a week. Pretty cool, right? But why did he choose Belize? We think it was just so he could tell my mom, "We're going on vacation. You better BELIZE it." Any time our family dined out at a seafood restaurant offering halibut, my dad would light up like a five year old that just discovered bubble wrap. He would unsuccessfully suppress a grin as he ordered, "Oh, what the heck. I'll have the special...JUST FOR THE HALIBUT." He will also undoubtedly instruct the waiter at a sushi restaurant to, "Sake it to me!" This does not get old for him.

As excited as I was to go on vacation, I was overrun with curiosity. "Seriously, Dad. Why Panama?" I could hear my dad's smile over the line as he said, "Should I call my brother [my Uncle Allen] and ask Panama if 'AL CAN' come?" The line fell silent as he waited for what was sure to be uproarious laughter from my end.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?" He chuckled.
"'Ask Panama if Al can come?'"
"Crap! I meant..."
"Dork."
Undaunted, he went for a second attempt and giggled, "Hey, Panama! Can Al come?!"

He followed that with hiccuping laughter and desperate attempts to catch his breath through fits of involuntary, high-pitched squeals.

Panama should be fun. I hope he comes up with a pun for Munich.