Happy Birthday, Pop!

Since you are conveniently leaving on a jet plane with your bride tomorrow morning and preventing any opportunity for me to throw you a 60th shindig, we celebrated you tonight. Happy birthday to the very first man who stole my heart .

Pop,

I have been beyond blessed to have been chosen to be your daughter and have you in my life. So much of my happiness and successes, I can attribute to you.

Thank you for always loving me (even after Wal-Mart), never giving up on me, and making me feel like one in a million. I love you more than my limited vocabulary can express. How do I put into words how as my father and constant role model, your strong presence in my life has been one of the biggest influences on who I am as a person…as the parent, that I am today?

From you, I learned that those who love you will always be there for you. Whether it was taking me to yet another basketball camp at Highpoint, or traveling me all around for AAU, teaching me how to ski, drive a stick shift, how to tile, or fix a leaky faucet. Now that I am a parent, you have been there for me from being at UVA with Baxter to the ER with Tripp. Thank you even if it was just to hold my hand to let me know I wasn't alone.

From you I learned that a father (and husband) is capable of doing everything from cooking dinner to adding New Kids on the Block tunes to science projects and yes, even shopping for feminine products.

From you I learned how to be a hard worker and never give up on your goals and dreams. 

From you I learned Algebra…”What the Hell is Going on?!?”

From you I learned the importance of family and spending time with those you love. From having lunch with me in grade school to surprising me at JMU. To going over home and seeing your parents every Sunday afternoon. No matter where worked pulled you, I knew I would always turn around on the basketball or tennis courts and you were always there snapping away with the camera.  Or if work pulled you away for a long period of time, you found a way to pull us a long for the ride and it was always an incredible journey.

From you I learned how to be proud of myself when I achieved something that I had worked hard for and to recognize those other moments when I needed learn from my mistakes not run from them. 

From you, I learned unconditional love. The way you love mom is unlike any man that I have every come across. The fact that you and she had the same “room” tonight when I asked you questions proved to me how much you two know and love one another.

In addition to these lessons, my memories of our experiences together also shape who I am.

Just this past week being in Denmark and having licorice ice cream, I went back to the days of sharing Good n’ Plenty’s in your office snack room. You would get the white and I would get the pink. Those are memories I will never forget with you.

I will never forget when I finally weighed enough to ride on the lawn mower and the strict instructions on maneuvering the machine. What happened next? Well, that was the first and last time I was allowed to use the mower and now you give me recommendations for who to use for my own lawn!

You were our biggest cheerleader when Bryan and I pursued our passions. From  playing P-I-G or H-O-R-S-E on the concrete court you carefully dug, framed, and poured the concrete for Bryan and I to play on. You even had the outdoor light placed perfectly so we could practice over and over again even after the sun went down over the three high heads. To the putting greens that you had perfectly mowed into the bottom yard for Bryan to practice his swing. 

I loved when you let me be your secretary at home and put all of your checks in numerical order and file them away. Your need for organization was instilled in me at a young age and was most likely the only college freshmen with a filing cabinet and Easy Mac.  Just tonight, we went through your filing cabinet and maybe I can teach you a thing or two on organization!

I love your need for “inventory.” That is something I did not get from you, but I can already tell that Bax is observing and following. 

I love how you shorten everything to initials. Even initials, you abbreviate.

I remember when you walked me down the aisle. Thankful for your stable arm when I was three and at twenty three.

I remember when you held Tripp in your arms for the first time. You had the biggest smile on your face and a tear in your eye. 

So thank you, Pop. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you. Thank you for never giving up on me (even when that mustang was in the driveway...you still found it in your heart to love me).  Your quiet presence did not go unnoticed as I certainly recognize the influence you have had and continue to have on my life as well as your grandsons lives. 

I hope you and mom have the trip of your life the next two weeks. Don’t worry about the house, I have “strict instructions.” Luckily watering flowers is nothing like riding a lawn mower! I love you more than you could possibly know and wish you the happiest 60th birthday and beyond.