Viva Towels

My favorite skilled trade worker is someone very close to me. My husband! When I first met him nine years ago, I asked him what he did for work. His reply, "I'm a plumber." A plumber? Really...All I could think of was, "he digs around in people's dirty toilets". Little did I know the varying degree that a plumber has to do. From clogged toilets to water piping to installing plumbing fixtures to sewage ejectors. He knows how to do it all! I've really come to appreciate not only the level of knowledge a plumber needs, but how hard a plumber works. The fact that on some days he would do the dirtiest job, knowing that when he comes home from a hard day, he does it to support his family and show good work ethnics. Nothing is more respectable than seeing your three little girls watching out the window, when one of them shouts, "There goes daddy in his plumbing van!", which ought to make anyone feel good.

Our favorite worker is our plumber, Jake Seeman. He is always crawling around in the most awful places-cleaning out drains, grease traps, clogged pipes,etc. And yet he is always singing funny songs, making up silly jokes, and keeping us laughing. Our 3 sons, David, Jack and Peter love Jake and are so excited when they get off the bus and see his truck in our driveway. He has taught them how to fix a toilet, solder a pipe and many other things. He did all of these things when they were 5,6, and 10. He has become more than our plumber. He is like a member of our family. We have made a tradition with his family and ours of meeting at our local strawberry patch on Mother's Day and picking strawberries together to celebrate his wife (Lauren) and myself. He always wears a tie and nice clothes to pick strawberries and says," I crawl around in yuck everyday, I dress up for these occasions. He has one very funny quirk...he is a germophobe. He is always making us laugh with his facial expressions concerning the messy things he has to clean-up, clean out, and clean under. I hope you chose our good friend Jake, the plumber. He is one in a million. I have attached a photo of Jake in the strawberry patch. Thank you, Sarah Maloy Midlothian, VA

My favorite skilled trade worker is my husband, Kevin Spencer. He started a bathtub refinishing company approximately six years ago. He is on his knees, bending and straining his back for 90% of the day. He works with harsh acids and chemicals to clean and etch bathtubs before spraying a coating to refinish the tub. When first starting in the field, he often sustained acid burns to his skin. He wears protective gear and respirator equipment however is still exposed to chemicals daily. Not only does Kevin refinish bathtubs and tiles, he also refinishes countertops. Kevin spends countless hours transforming ordinary formica into the look of stone such as granite. He also does custom concrete work. Kevin is meticulous about his work. He is loved by his customers because he does such a good job. He is clean and professional and goes above and beyond by doing extra things for people such as removing shower doors, re-caulking etc. Kevin drives long distances to service his customers. In this depressed economy he has taken jobs wherever necessary in order to support his family. At times he has driven three hours one way then spent all day working on a job and then has driven another three hours home. Kevin also does all of his own accounting, invoicing, paperwork ect. He is an extremely hard worker, loving husband and father and deserves all the credit in the world!

My father, Larry Williams, is my favorite skilled worker. He is a pastor......Yes, I know....most pastors aren't considered to have a tough, skilled job. However, he is not an "average" pastor. Over the years, he has done every "tough" job imaginable - dig trenches, construct buildings, go down into sewer tanks (MULTIPLE times!), unclog and clean up after clogged commodes, change bus oil, lay cement, chop down and root up trees, lay gravel, repair engines, remove graffiti, install roofing and floor tiles, clean out dumpsters...... Yes, my list could go on. (And I must note, that during most of these tasks, he had a collared shirt, tie, and dress slacks on underneath his coveralls." I am so proud of my father - he has shown me and my four siblings (as well as SCORES of other people - of all ages!) the true meaning of "work ethic." Love is why he does these "tough" jobs - love for his family and love for people.

My favorite skilled trade worker is my husband, Danny Bennett. Danny is a hardworking Dairy Farmer. With his job he combats many dirty, clean up challenges. He works on equipment, milks cows, plants crops, bales hay, delivers baby calves, sweats and more. His hands, clothes and boots look an awful mess some days. One day he was helping clean out the neighbors chicken houses for the fertilize to put on his crops and came in covered in chicken poop except for where he had worn the face mask. I made him take his clothes off outside and wipe off before he could come in to shower. That's pretty bad. He is a very hard worker and provider for our family. He is the third generation dairy farmer of his family farm. I am so proud of him and the hard work he does to keep the farm going; even when times are challenging. He is a great husband, father and son to his elderly parents that still live on the farm. He loves the land and providing food for our country. Under all the grit and grim is an honest, humble man, hardworking man. Thank you for this opportunity to share my appreciation for my favorite skilled trade worker.