Well crap biscuits. My dad to them up to the office of our family business. He mounted them on the walls.
So, I'll get pictures tomorrow. But for now I will tell you about them, as they each tell a different story.
My grandfather, among other things, was a state representative here in Illinois, part of the state legislature. He also founded our business. The state reps get special plates, with a number on it depending on some sort of ranking system. Every four years, if you were re-elected, you got new plates if your rank changes. My grandfather served for 14 consecutive years. He actually won his last election, and died the next morning, succumbing to liver cancer, which had metastasized all over his body.
He was the anti politician, his slogan and bumper stickers being "No more Illinois taxes." He would try to get bills going lowering the amount of money legislators made.
I was 17 when he died. These plates are but a small portion of what I have to remember him by, including the fact that I'm named after him.
The second set of plates are my own, cancelled April 2000.
They were personalized plates. I was in a severe accident April 11 2000. My car was 9 months old. I slid roughly 150 feet in a rainstorm going 50mph into an old Honda Accord. My car went under it (1999 Civic hatchback), put it's rear bumper through the windshield, pushing it into a Mercedes.
8 broken ribs, broken wrist, severe concussion causing me to blackout.
I was terrified to drive after that. Four month of driving rehab, I've never had an at fault accident since.
It may be superstition, but I don't think I'll have custom plates again.
The last is short, Texas plates from the year I was born, as my dad had just bought the van. 1977 Ford E-150 351. Drove that up here when I was 2, in our move to IL. Hard to believe we packed everything we owned in there, including a dog.