A couple weeks ago we celebrated my Dad's 60th Birthday in Dallas. Yes, I said 60. I really love my dad. He makes me laugh. Sometimes he likes to tell the same joke over and over again even when I'm the only one that continues to find it funny. One time he was trying to tell a joke and actually had to go pull the written down punch line from his briefcase. He is extremely color blind and owns possibly 20 red shirts that all look the same. He has an appreciation for good art. He is really goofy in general and I think I take after him in that respect. He has a very strange dance move where he uses his pointer fingers and taps his feet in a sort of Irish jig. Even after 30 years I can't quite figure out if he's serious or just trying to be amusing. Surely he's not serious? I think of my Dad ever time I hear Huey Lewis or Roy Orbison. It always makes me smile. He has had many interesting hobbies in the past, including competitive roller skating, riding Harley Davidsons (he rode to Sturgis for several years), hunting, and skiing. He loves ducks and could probably observe them for hours. He always knows really strange trivia. He has lived in many interesting places, including Cuba, and all over the South. When we were little he used to take us roller skating some weekends (this later developed into Roller Blading). He would even enter the competitions (like limbo). On Sunday mornings he would bring home Winchell's donuts. He once paid my brother and I to eat squash. I'm pretty sure this actually happened on a few occasions. He despised any guy who was ever mean to me or broke my heart in High School. He has always supported me in sports, even when I wasn't any good (okay..horrible sometimes). I think he actually had to disqualify me himself when judging a swim meet one time. When I failed my driver's test on my sixteenth birthday, he let me tell people that he forgot the insurance paperwork and I was unable to take it in order to save me from embarrassment. He is one of the hardest working people I know. He has always loved my mother. I will never forget the look on his face before he walked me down the church aisle on my wedding day. I love you Dad. Cheers to many more happy and healthy years! The best is yet to come.
*This picture was actually taken at my Dad's birthday celebration and not a 4th of July party. The coordinating outfits were unintentional.
