Happy Birthday Dad!

So today my dad turned the big 6-5! In fact, he was anticipating the event of using his senior citizen BART ticket when he went to the city tonight. Dad, I know that you may be feeling old (hehe) but you don't look like you're 65. Sad to say that I haven't even seen my dad since February and when I was looking for a picture to post, I didn't have any pictures of us on the computer. (With Dustin out of town, I am at a loss trying to use the scanner). I'm a bad daughter! Anyway, here are some wonderful memories that I have of my dad.

• The Gourmet Chef - Both of my parents are great cooks. My mom made the meals that remind me of home and tradition. As for my dad, he has become more of the gourmet all about the presentation kind of chef (although the quality is just as wonderful as the presentation). I don't even know if I can say that he has cooked the same thing twice. He is always inventing new recipes and new ways to present his meals, I wish that I was blessed with his talent.
• Halloween - Hands down every year I would win the Costume Contests. Not only did my dad come up with great ideas (1/2 old lady, 1/2 skeleton), but I would get up hours and hours before school started so that he could paint my face. It was a work of art. One of these days I'll have to post some pictures. Also, weeks before Halloween came around, we would spend the weekends, putting together the glowing cat eyes that we had in our big oak tree in our front yard along with the scary music.
• Speeches - My dad was great with helping me with speeches whether it was for a speech contest or running for office at school. I still remember the slogan he came up with when I ran for VP in 8th Grade - "Why me... Why not?"
• Mr. Fixer - Any time something was broken or it needed to be fixed, I knew that I could always turn to my dad and he would fix it, no matter if it was a tangled necklace or a broken something else.
• The Perfectionist - After our house was remodeled I remember spending what felt like 6-8 weeks of taking long strips of plywood, drawing a straight line down the center, and then drilling holes so many inches apart. What could this be for you ask? Our Christmas lights. My dad wanted to make sure that every light was perfectly straight as these lights outlined the roofline of the house. It was almost disgusting just how far he went to make it look perfect, but it did look perfect.
  
• Playing Catch - My poor dad was never blessed with any boys, only my sister and me. Ashley has and will always be the princess of the family where as I was the tomboy growing up. Whether my dad helped to define it or just saw it in me, I remember many times going out in the front yard and playing catch. He taught me how to throw, how to swing and how to catch. If it wasn't for the demands of swimming and gymnastics, I may have kept with baseball past the age of 8 because I always loved it.

There are more stories and many more memories of my dad, but here are just a few that stick out. Dad, I know that we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, but I love you and I am grateful that you are my dad. I hope that you had a nice dinner in the city! I love you!