Dad

Today would have been my dads 67th birthday. Sadly, on April 25 2002, he lost his short battle with cancer and left us.

My dad and I had a strange relationship. We were so much alike that sometimes we clashed like the Titanic and that dang iceberg, but we loved each other.

Dad didnt just love me...he loved lots of things. My grandmothers german chocolate cake, cooking (he made really awesome chicken breasts), photography and fishing, just to name a few things off the top of my head.

He also loved his family. He was nuts about my step-mother, Nola..or NANA as she is more commonly known and he was absolutely crazy about his grandsons.

Thomas and Jeremy spent many summers with my dad and Nana. They would fish, Nana would bake them cookies. The first question at the end of every school year would be "When are we going to Poppa and Nanas"?! My boys sure got a taste of what grandparents are like!

Dad also loved my little sis...Mary Dawn....I am so glad she had him in her life. When she was little, their thing was going to the pond to feed the ducks. Dad came home really flusterd one day. It seems that a male and female duck were getting a bit frisky in the pond and Mary Dawn asked "Why is that duck pushing the other one under the water"???? Dad didnt really know what to say to such a small little girl so he said "Well, that duck is sick and the other one is pushing it to the ducky hospital"!!! What a character.

The last time I spent any time with my dad I needed to go buy some shoes so he went shopping with me. My dad...suprised me, yet again with something I didnt know. He was crazy about little square feet!! Dont get me wrong...my feet are by far little and square...but both my mom and step-mother have little square feet! He helped me pick out a really cute pair of shoes. Shoes that were gone before he passed away, but how I wish that I still had them.

He left us way too soon but he would be so proud of the things we have done in the last almost 10 years that he has been gone. It doesnt matter if it is serving our country, learning a new language, overcoming problems or giving him great grandchilderen.

Happy Birthday Daddy. I know that you and my Tommy are up there with poles in the water, have a big ole talk!

Till the next time....

"Laugh when you can, apologize when you should and let go of what you can't change. Kiss slowly, forgive quickly, take chances, give everything and have no regrets. Life is too short to be anything but good....so Be Happy"!! (unknown)

‎"Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change. Kiss slowly, forgive quickly, take chances, give everything and have no regrets. Life's too short to be anything but good... so Be Happy"