Happy Birthday Padre'

    This is me and my dad right before I walked down the aisle on my wedding day. I think right before this picture we were trying to make jokes about my mother's uncontrollable crying to keep ourselves from falling apart.

      In truth, there really is nothing more that I love to do than make my father laugh. I love to see that goofy smile creep up on the corners of his quiet face when he's been tickled by something I said or did. Those feel like some of the most accomplished moments in my life.

   Ever since I can remember people have remarked that my dad and I are two peas in a pod and I always loved to hear that because there was nothing I wanted more than to be just like my dad. His favorite color was green, so my favorite color was green. He liked watching sci-fi, so I liked watching sci-fi. He was smart, so I wanted to be smart. And I also blame my sweet tooth on him because I'm pretty sure every tooth in my father's mouth is a sweet tooth.

   I have always admired and respected my dad so much. He is such a man of character and integrity who put his family first in everything. My dad never missed a single band concert, choir concert, award ceremony, or birthday party. He was always there for everything encouraging me in the things I loved to do and showing his support for all my efforts. And he showed me how a man should treat a woman with respect and honor and I am convinced that is the reason I was never boy crazy like a lot of my friends growing up.

    I have learned so much from my dad through his remarkable example of strong faith and quiet generosity. His life has so strongly impacted the way I live my life and I am so thankful and proud that I grew up with him as a father and role model.

Happy Birthday Dad - I love you so much.