A Happy, Happy Birthday to you, Dear Daddy!

My dad recently celebrated a birthday. 58, I think. (Would you E-V-E-R guess?? When people find out his age, they are shocked. He looks fantastic.) I have always felt a really, really special bond with my dad. It's almost scary how well he knows me. And he's watched out for me and taken such good care of me over the years. I want to share childhood memory I was thinking of today that just shows perfectly the kind of father I have. Sorry to brag, but anytime there was a school project of some sort due, my siblings and I always did a kick-A job and often had the best in the class. The reason: 100% my dad. I'm talking about things like costumes, class presentations, diaramas, etc. Well, when you combine a desire to be the best with my wretched habit of procrastination, it made for some terribly long nights. In 5th grade, the night before I had to give a presentation in front of my class on Egypt, my dad and I decided it would be cool if I were wearing a massive pyramid costume. So my dad stayed up all night making one. (of course being a good parent, he required me to help but I spent most of the night passed out on the floor). This thing was fashioned out of cardboard, covered in paper, colored beautifully and had to have been at least four feet tall. Needless to say, it was a hit. Another time I was Junior in high school and I had to give a class presentation on Henry Thoreau with 3 of my friends. My group decided it would be SWEET to pack the class sack lunches and take them on a field trip to Walden Pond (located in the next classroom) to see his cabin. Oddlly, all the work was left to be completed the night before the presentation. Without a single word of complaint, my dad stayed up all night, and even went in late to work the next morning because he was building a cabin and getting it set up at the school for us. The cabin was as tall as I was and had a REAL porch made out of wood, complete with railing and surrounded by trees. People were in awe. It was INCREDIBLE. A couple years after I graduated, I ran into a fellow Binghamite who was then enrolled in the same english class I had taken, and she told me that the teacher was still talking about my group's fab presentation. I took all the glory, but it really belongs to my humble, generous father. I love you so much, Dad. Happy Birthday!