Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today is my Daddy's 55th Birthday. And in honor of this occasion I'd like to share some of my favorite memories of my dad.

• When I was little my dad would eat all the slightly burnt pop corn and any overdone cookies we had. He happens to like his pop corn slightly overcooked (as I do now), but I thought he liked all his food burnt. Anytime someone would over cook something I'd say, "It's ok, Daddy'll eat it." And most times he did.
• My Daddy is very emotional. I love that about him. I've never had to question how he felt about things. He wears his heart on his sleeve so everyone knows how he's feeling. He didn't cry at my wedding. He held it together better than I did (much to my surprise). The Sunday after he had to head home leaving my mom and siblings up here at my grandparent's house. Husband and I were at Bucka and Busha's house as he was preparing to leave. He looked at me and said, "I didn't do this at your wedding, but I'm going to do it now." Then he hugged me and began to cry.
• When I was in grade school Daddy got a motorcycle. That was the coolest thing ever. He would take us on rides around the neighborhood and occasionally to church or Grandma and Grandpa's. The day he got it, he met me at the bus stop when I got home from school. I was wearing a dress and couldn't ride to the house with him, so he scooted along beside me as I walked. Years later things weren't great between me and my folks (that may be the understatement of the year). They got another motorcycle (this one is technically Mama's but she's only been allowed to drive it around the yard). Daddy came to the apartment I shared with Art and he took me out riding. We drove all around town, stopped at Subway to show Did, and then went out in the country. We didn't have to talk. We just rode.
• Shortly after Bubba was born, Daddy was laid off from his UAW job. He got a job at Target to help make ends meet. I thought that was fabulous. Not only did my dad work at my favorite place in the mall, but I got a Cabbage Patch Kid during the mass hysteria surrounding them (they were offered to employees first). Thinking back on it, we didn't have much money and those dolls weren't cheap.
• In High School I was in the marching band. We had football games every Friday night and band contests every Saturday. Daddy didn't miss many games or contests. He even drove to Chattanooga for one (4 hours away). As we drove home that night (if you can call 4 am "that night") he accidentally hit a skunk. It was already dead when we hit it, but the scent glands must have ruptured because the truck smelled so bad the next day.
• Daddy wrote me a letter when I went to college. I still have it in a scrap book. He closed it with "...I really needed to let you know how much I love you and how proud I am of you. Never forget God and His love for you." He tucked another letter into my suitcase when I went home (being Mama and Daddy's) with Baby Girl the first time. He closed that one with "The bottom line of all this is that I love you very much and I am very proud of the woman you have become. You are a wonderful daughter, wife, and mother. Stay focused on God and He will never let you down."

There's much more I could say about my dad, but I'm not sure he'd make it through the post. Happy birthday, Daddy. I love you.