birthday pop

Happy Birthday to my dear, ol' dad! My dad is a quite a guy! He loves God, he loves my mom and he loves his children / grandchildren. Those three things alone make him an A+ in my book, but here are a few more great things about my dad.

Copenhagen 2013

// My dad is always up for some quality conversation. If you go to my parents' house, you can count on my dad putting down whatever he is working on and coming to visit with whoever is there. You won't receive meaningless small talk, either. He'll dive right down into the important stuff and give great advice too. I didn't appreciate that enough when I was younger but I realize now that it's a really admirable talent.

// With 11 children in my immediate family, there are a lot of birthdays to be celebrated. Whenever we sing "Happy Birthday", you can count on my dad leading the group in a rousing, upbeat tempo. Nothing bothers him more than a mournful, slow version.

// On a related note, my dad is an eternal optimist. He always sees the sunny side of every situation and has mounds of confidence that things will turn out right. This presence in my life has always been one of the most comforting things to me during hard times.

// He makes exceptional steel cut oats every single morning. He tops his with ground flax seed and honey. On Christmas morning, he makes delicious omelettes and I was really homesick for one this year (onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and cheese, please!)

// I've never met someone who is so consistent with their daily routine. It is so admirable. My dad's dedication to his routine has made him successful in so many areas of his life. I'm really good at creating goals to be more consistent with my daily life, but I have yet to master the follow through!

I'm wishing I could be at his birthday party tonight with my family, but I'm thinking of you dad! XOXO