Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to the greatest man I’ve ever known: My Dad… the doting father of two daughters, and the only man in a house filled with women. He’s put up with a lot over the last twenty-something years, and I wanted to take some time this morning to wish him a very happy birthday.

As Grace and I were growing up, our dad was our hero (not to say he isn't still today). He quickly learned how to comb the knots out of our hair without sparking tears… how to outfit a three year old who refuses to wear anything but cotton dresses in the middle of winter… and how to read to my sister and I every night so that we both could see the pictures. He taught us how to kick a soccer ball… how to ride a bike… and how to build a snow-pile tall enough that you could jump from the deck railing into it without getting hurt. As we got older, he taught us the importance of money with “the bank of dad”, and he taught us how to laugh at ourselves so we don’t sweat the small stuff. To this day Grace and I still laugh at all our own jokes… it might be a problem.

Most importantly, our dad taught us about strength… to stand up for ourselves and to take risks. In fact, he’s part of the reason I even considered moving to Texas. He taught us to speak our minds because our opinions are worth something. He's seen the tuition bills... he knows. He gave us confidence by always believing in everything we’ve ever done. Whether it was graduating from college or learning to back-flip into the pool, it didn’t matter how big or small. In his mind, there wasn’t ever a question of whether we were able. 

So to the man who deserves about a million thank you's... Happy Birthday... and cheers to many, many more!

Oh, and of course...