my dad

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

My favorite things about my dad:

• He was incredibly handsome when he married my mom, and he still is to this day!
• He lives and breathes hard work. Whenever there's a job to be done, he does it to the best of his ability. There's no half-way with him. It's either done well, or not done at all.
  
• He takes his time - to work, to play, to love, to teach, to learn, to laugh, to live
• He knows everything! I'm not even kidding. Ask him anything, and he'll give you the answer.
• His whole purpose in life is to do things for and with his family. He works so hard to give his family the resources that we need. If he could have it his way, I'm sure every job in or outside the house would be done with the entire family chipping in.
  
• He's living proof that you're never too old to learn something new.
  
• He looks regal in his military uniform, handsome in a tux, and just about perfect in his Sunday suit (which belonged to my mother's dad).

• He instilled patriotism in us kids, and we are all proud to be Americans.
  
• He loves meeting new people, and can relate to anyone.
• His testimony is solid. I have never ever had a reason to doubt his faith.
• He was older than my best friend's grandpa when I was growing up. I guess he still is!
  
• He loves to be outdoors and has taught me to feel the same. My favorite family vacations were when we would go camping, hiking, fishing, skiing, backpacking or anything else outside.

• He's completely able to be in front of the group when we're hiking or skiing or backpacking, but yet he chooses to bring up the rear, making sure everyone makes it. I'm sure it's his quiet way of being supportive to every family member, no matter what the circumstances.
  
• He often is being teased, and has developed a good sense of humor about it. (e.g. In Heaven, I'm sure he will have a beautiful singing voice ... so we'll have to wait to hear it.)
• He is a professional dutch-oven cooker. I'm not kidding - he's that good.
• He can fix anything in the house. Growing up I never knew that there were men who got paid to go to houses and fix electrical problems, or holes in the wall created by the kids roller-blading in the house, or leaks in the roof, or remodeling the kitchen, adding on another garage, doubling the square footage of a house, or even building a house from the ground-up by himself.
  
• He draws up the plans himself, and can create whatever he wants.
  
• He is a great dancer.
• He's a loving Grandfather to five incredible grandkids who are all very lucky.
• I love him! Happy Birthday Dad!