Happy 59th Dad!

Sunday was my pop's birthday and this is the last year of his fifties. I am really proud to have him as my dad. He was really hard on me as a kid . . . who am I kidding, he's still really hard on me. Though that comes from his desire for me to be happy, healthy and successful. 

Some of my favorite memories of my dad include a third grade project where he helped me build the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car out of a cereal box. This cereal box had custom cut wheels out of wood and dimensional wings. It was so cool to be out in the garage with my dad using power tools. 

One Christmas my dad took me to Toys'R'Us and said, "You can have any one thing in the store." This was a big deal to me. One thing only, I had to be strategic and get the most bang for my buck. My father instilled this into me early. I don't think my dad understood how serious I was going to take this. We walked through that store from one side to the other, down every aisle, looking at every toy. Finally on the fourth pass, I decided to get this 4ft. tall teddy bear that cost $60. I think my dad was relieved I finally had chosen something, though he asked me three times if this is what I wanted.

Another memory I have of my dad is driving to pick up a our first Mastiff. I'm sitting shotgun and trying to navigate, keep in mind I was 14. I definitely got us lost and we ended up at the Salton Sea. This was about an hour out of the way. Whoops! When we got to the breeder's home, there was this giant dog that came to greet us. When I say giant I mean his head was about 4.5 feet high and he weighed about 300 pounds. My dad looked at me and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Of course, if you know me I got a big grin on my face and just shook my head yes. We took home one of the best dogs we've ever had that day. 

Happy birthday Dad! I love you and appreciate everything you've done for me in my 30 years.