I think I can speak for many bloggers who feel like they know Peat even though we've never met him.  And, I think most of us have him framed up pretty close.  Loyal, passionate, caring, sincere, quick witted, detail-oriented....

Because business took me to the Trenton plant this week I was able to meet Randy for the first time.  It's a shame that life has us all moving so fast that out of three days I was able to spend a total of 30 minutes with him, but it was great to meet him and talk to him. 

My favorite people in this world are those who live life with zest and passion, and who breathe in their surroundings and try to impact them in a positive way.  Peat is precisely this person.

This is a person I felt so comfortable with at our first meeting that I could easily have sat and talked to him for a few days on end without sleep and not have heard enough.

Ok, so you get the idea.  Then, to go even a step higher, he had a care package delivered to me today on the last day of our conference.  It was very personalized, and included personalized gifts for my children.  He put a lot of his personal time into creating the care package - nothing was bought from a store, it was all hand-made and with personalization to his knowledge of me and my family.  When I got home from the airport tonight, Anna Maria had let the kids stay up to wait for me and I immediately broke out the "Peat Care Package" for them.  And we declared a laughing, family rendition of "Dee-Troit Sauce!!" (you'd have to see the care package to get this).

He has hinted that his vacation schedule may bring him through St. Louis this year, and if that works out you all need to meet this wonderful friend of ours.

Oh - Peat - here is another meeting removal trick that works well.  When you know you are going into a meeting that you would rather wrestle alligators than attend- do this  Moments before you go into the meeting, take a sheet of paper and fax it to your pager phone number.  Then, moments after you go into the meeting everyone will hear your pager go off.  Shrug it off, then a few minutes later the fax machine will attempt again, setting off your pager again.  This time you look at it with a little more contempt.  About the third or fourth time, you grunt, shake your head and bail out as if you have something that must be dealt with.  I'VE NEVER DONE THIS    but I just thought of it and it seems like it would work ok.

Craig and Shelly, you are truly blessed to have this person in your life for so many years.