Are You Wearing a "Riggin?"

This is my dad.

AMAZING! Right?
This is my dad back in the day as "Intercessory Man" at church. I love it. Nobody falling asleep during that message, that we can be sure of.

I think my dad can be King of the Riggins sometimes. Oh, what's a "Riggin" you ask? Good question. See this word has been a part of my vocabulary all my life and it took going to college to find out from some friends that this was not a common word. Rather it is one of those words your family creates and engraves into you, only for you to find out later in a public setting that it doesn't exist (you know the kind, every family has them). I didn't realize how many crazy sayings and words I had in my rolodex until I went to college. Apparently a lot according to friends and I mainly blame that lovely man pictured above ^. For example in a situation that most people might say, "Holy Cow," or "Whoa," or "Oh Crap," my family says, "Harry Miller!" I thought this was a commonly used slang term... No. It's the name of some guy my parents used to know. Somehow it got turned into a saying with them and now their kids yell out some random guys name whenever a situation gets a little... 'Harry.'

So, here's the definition of a Riggin-
Riggin: A ridiculous outfit thrown together out of desperation, laziness, or lack of clean clothes. Outfit does not match and does not make sense. An outfit that has been "rigged" together is a Riggin.

Now I want to show you my favorite Riggin my dad has every worn.

I'd like to call it... Zubaz-tastic

Okay, so obviously I had to do some cutting and pasting to share this Riggin with you but believe it or not dad has avoided ever being photographed in this couture outfit. What actually spawned this posting was the other day I walked by my dad walking on the treadmill in this outfit (but of course he had shoes on instead of barefoot), and I wanted to take a picture so bad (of course to share with you), but can you believe it... he wouldn't allow it. Hopefully in the future I can persuade him into it, because it really is a beautiful sight. I mean who came up with these "Zubaz" pants. They're ridiculous! Well, whoever invented them... my dad's keeping the fashion alive.

One of my most embarrassing moments includes my dad in this very "Zubaz-tastic" outfit above. It's hilarious now, but at the time I was mortified. I was in middle school, like 7th or 8th grade and had just gotten out of volleyball practice or something like that. Anyway, I was waiting outside with some other girls to be picked up by our parents. Most everyone was gone (because my parents were always late picking us up) when I see my dad hiding behind one of the pillars in front of the school. He was peaking his head out from behind the pillar, saying my name, and trying to get my attention. He finally got it and I came over to him. He was wearing his white V-neck t-shirt that was originally 50% cotton and 50% polyester when he first got it but now after wearing and washing it, it now consisted of just 50% polyester and 50% See-through! So, that t-shirt and his lovely Chiefs' Zubaz pants, and no shoes!

Now, here's the kicker because you have to be wondering, "Why would he have even gotten out of his truck if that's what he was wearing?" Good question, you're fallowing along well.

So, you have to pass through the high school parking lot to get to the middle school parking lot. That would the exact location my dad's truck decided to stop. I don't remember what was wrong with the truck, but whatever it was, it made the truck stop just shy of it's destination. So, while my dad's truck is stopped in the high school parking lot he has to get out and check on it and while out there a guy who played football with my brother in high school offers a ride to my dad. Awesome. Here's the deal... it was the cutest guy in the whole school. He's the guy that even to this day you say his name and everyone knows who he is. He's the guy I drooled over as a middle schooler looking up at the high schoolers.

My dad tells me what happened and that we have a ride home. Oh, lucky me, I get to have this stud take me home in his super cool Jeep... ooohh, how cool, right?... NO. Not cool. Not cool when you have to ride home in his car with your dad half dressed in the front seat and his totally blonde, model status beauty, girlfriend sitting next to you in the back. Not cool at all. Imagine us all packed in that Jeep, now that's a picture.

I was mortified at the time, but now looking back I think it's hilarious and I just feel for my dad. I couldn't believe he had dressed like that... in public, but now I get it. Now, I know he never planned on having to get out of the truck and I have to say, I have worn my fair share of Riggins to drive somewhere I wasn't planning on getting out of the car and if I had, had to I would have been humiliated.

Needless to say, that lovely Riggin will never be forgotten and resides at the top of the charts.

Now, that you know what a Riggin is you can incorporate it into your every day vocabulary and feel free to share some great Riggins with us.