I Love My Dad!!! I know my kids joke about their nick names in the family and try to lay claim to the favorite child, the beloved child, the spoiled one…and possibly just possibly if we asked my brothers and sisters they might just say I was all of the above! (Now Steve, Carrie, Keyna, Patti, Bill, John, Jim I said IF) They “say” because I was “born on his birthday” I was like the ambassador to dad. Not that we ever even said those words but it went without saying along with when this phrase was heard: “ask dad,” this girl was the one doing that asking. Brave. No telling what they got me to ask for before I could remember! The real magic phrase that got him or, for that matter, anyone was “but mom says!”

This picture captures so much. First, our special birthday dinners. We always had a dinner and cake. Just knowing we got to pick what kind of cake and what we wanted for dinner was a treat. And we had first dibs and sole rights on licking the beaters and the bowl! I think we can probably all name what each other picked too kind of like knowing what day the chicken and rice is served at Cracker Barrel! Even though Kenya’s birthday is in May by golly we knew we were having turkey and dressing! And second, my dad’s expressions. Now I know where my kids get their faces! I love at our holiday gatherings at photo op time we don’t say “silly shot!”…we say ok now everyone make one of dad’s faces! They are the best!

See what I mean?!? Well, and this brings me to another thing we share besides our birthday. We hate balloons! See my dad’s face–it absolutely captures it all. And to my kids you now know why after grocery shopping or birthday parties where you might walk out with a balloon but I never let you in the car with one–at least not without a court order! I always said they were a hazard to the driver, or I made you let them go and y’all thought they were just going to Jesus and He was saving them for you. Well! It kept them out of the car and my driving down the road making my dad’s face above! Couldn’t do it. Nope. Not happening! What is happening is I am blessed to share my special day even across all these miles with my dad. Have the happiest of birthdays dad!!! I Love You!
(You’re Thirtieth Birthday Present)