The parade was a hit, and we had a special guest.

So last weekend we were in Kansas’ largest parade, the Old Settlers Days Parade in Olathe. We dressed up our Army Deuce and a Half and stormed the streets of Olathe handing out candy, flyers and water bottles. We handed out over 4,000 coupon flyers and customers have been flowing in all week! Thanks so much for the great response and feedback. . .to see more pics, click here!

I invited my father, Gary, to ride up in the cab with me. This is the first time that I have blogged about this, but he has terminal pancreatic cancer, and this last year has been challenging for the entire family. I thought to myself, “I need to get him involved and get his mind off of this junk”. He is a Vietnam Veteran and since our Deuce and a Half spent some time in Vietnam, I thought that I’d honor him in a way that was a little special.

My father Gary Arter - Vietnam Veteran.

So I had the honor of driving this huge military truck around with my dad, who has been a rock and my “life advisor”. He was cheered, saluted, and even “blown” kisses from some ladies in the crowd. He received standing ovations and sincere heartfelt thanks from the public. He turned to me, with tears in his eyes and with a cracking voice he quietly told me “thank you”.

It seemed that for that hour his cancer was gone – all the while making an amazing memory between us. I have been hesitant to talk about this personal situation in my business blog but I’ve taken a new outlook on life. Cancer effects a lot of people at the strangest of times and at this point I am happy to report that a good attitude is everything. My dad was told that he wouldn’t make it through last Christmas and now here it is September and we can still make good memories. Here’s to the good times.

For everyone battling cancer or dealing with a loved one with cancer, I am here for you. I rely on my friends (all of my loyal readers) thanks for listening and I will do my best to keep my chin up. Attitude. It’s under our control!

Sincerely, Ryan Arter, President @ Mission Repair