Happy Birthday Dad

 

Yesterday was my father's birthday! He had to work, since he is a pastor he can't really take Sundays off. So he had a partial work day, but then he had BIG PLANS for the afternoon. He wanted to watch sports (and golf) on TV and relax. My father is always on the go, out in public, and you might not know it to meet him, but he is an introvert. So this is just what the birthday doctor ordered for him.



We all descended upon the house later in the day, after giving him some down time. He forced me to watch a little golf with him while he explained the rules. You can't tell in this photo, but I was fast asleep. I am kidding.







We had a wonderful afternoon. There was a lot of laughter and Tom Foolery. Laura (we borrow her as a family member, she has a fantastic family of her own, but they live in a different town so we borrow her) was there and so was my brother Sam. I am sorry I didn't get a picture of Sam (I know a certain Arizonian would appreciate a picture of him, so I will snap one soon) , but he spent much of his time helping Elise to fly.



We had dinner and cupcakes baked into ice cream cones and we laughed until we cried.

We played Wii bowling and just a nice family night. I think that was the perfect kind of birthday for my father as he is all about family. My dad is seriously an amazing father/husband/friend/musician/everything. Every person who is fortunate enough to become part of his life learns that he is so smart, so weirdly funny and such a genuinely good human. I cannot express to you enough just how important it has been and continues to be for my family to just have the influence of a truly good man. I love my father and I am so honored that I get to be his daughter, one of the greatest blessings in my life.

The Ladies Man

He never really stood a chance you see; baby of the family with two older sisters. He was destined for an insider perspective into the mysteries of the feminine mind.  His sisters made sure that he knew how to be a proper gentleman. He opens doors for people---anyone who needs it. He listens. He understands that there are things about ladies that he can't understand. He can handle conversations about the details of womanhood. Yeah, he never really had the option to hide from all that.

Thankfully he also got a full dose of dude. So he has a good balance. He has another side that enjoys watching football, bowling, playing video games, cleaning gutters, etc.  Yes, I know many ladies do too---just not this one, or any that I know. He likes to do manly things and just be a guy as well.  Thank goodness.



Anyway, he found that this feminine trend would continue to the end of his life when he married me and fathered only girls. So, he finds himself in lady territory. His future holds lots of girl talk. An ordinary man might quake with fear about future conversations that will almost certainly include bras, crushes and feminine hygiene products. Thankfully Eric is no ordinary man. He has studied our kind for his entire life. He doesn't even miss a beat when those topics arise. He knows when to be gentle and when to push. He can easily play with dolls, but he also teaches Cordelia (soon Elise too) how to roughhouse and be a little wild.

On the other side our girls are getting quite a lesson in what it means to be a good man. Their father is teaching them what they should expect from the opposite gender and boy has he raised the bar.

My Song

Yesterday I promised to tell you about my song, the song my father wrote for me. The song is called, I Hold a Little Girl in My Arms. If you click on the image you will be able to read the lyrics.
My father wrote it based on the picture below. The night before my wedding my Father and Eric took me aside and played me the song which they had recorded together.Out of all of the moments in my life, it is one of my most treasured.


My father, in addition to being an amazing man, is an amazing musician. Please check out his music by clicking here. My song, in addition to other amazing songs are all on his album.