my dad was born

Today is [one of] my dad's birthday. He was born 51 years ago, and upon marrying my mother, took on the crazy responsibility of me! (Lucky him! haha) In honor of him, I thought I'd post a few memories of him from when i was little. (awww how sweet!)

• building a snowman in the backyard – with muscles
• singing "can't touch this" while riding his shoulders down the hallway to bed
• him yelling at other drivers. I didn't realize "dick" was a bad word until I was probably 11.
• dressing in blue and watching the Colts win or lose while he yells at the tv
• vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles
• popping black jewel popcorn, and scarfing it down while watching a movie
• the way he used to talk to our husky Summer (rip) like she was a real person. that's cuz she was!
• the custom-made wire rack that fit in that odd space in my dorm room and held 2 mini fridges, a microwave, and a tv
• countless summers spent at the lake, swimming the whole day, throwing us up and into the water, cruisin on the boat, fishing, and paddleboating
• Vacations in North Carolina and how he'd lure the crabs out of their sand-homes, throw sand on the entrance before they could hide, and then capture them with his bare hands
• making us say "please" whenever we asked for something; which i now do to all kids i work with

Dads are cool and I'm fortunate to have three! Perhaps one of the coolest things about this one, besides his use of the word "cool," is that he took me in as his very own kid and I never felt like anything less.

I just realized how cool it is that birthdays can make you think of someone you really care about and all the good times you shared together. They aren't just for writing on people's facebook walls, they are a chance to show people how much you care and love them. Last year I forgot a few birthday's of people who really matter to me, this dad included, and I have since made it my mission to be better at birthdays. I hope I've improved.

Here's to you, Cool Dad. x