For my dad on his birthday

Whenever there is a birthday in our house, my dad can always be counted on to sing to us, "Today is your birthday . . . gonna have a good time!" Whether he sings it to us in person, calls us on the phone, or sends us an email with the text of the song written in it, I can always count on my dad to make me feel special on my birthday.

So in honor of my dad's birthday, I have created a list of things I love about him. I hope this makes you feel as special as I do, Dad. It is a privilege to be your daughter.

1. You lead by example. For as long as I can remember, I always saw you doing your quiet time in our front room before you went to work each morning. I know that your commitment to Christ and to growing in your faith is what made you such a wise and loving dad. Watching you taught me that spending time alone with God is crucial to knowing Him better and understanding His will.
2. You taught me to pray about everything and pray without ceasing.
   
3. When tackling a math problem, you taught me to always have a piece of paper and a pencil handy. Thanks to you, I will always write down what I know and draw a picture to help me figure out the problem.
4. Even though I usually whined and cried during our math homework sessions, you never gave up on me, no matter how much my lack of "mathtitude" may have annoyed you.
5. You were right when you said that life is a series of proportional challenges.
6. I love that you will watch Bring It On with Lindsay and me and cheerfully quote some of our favorite lines. "These are not spirit fingers . . . These are spirit fingers!"
7. You made a point to find different ways to bond with both of your daughters. Because of that I will always think of Karate Kid as "our" movie! "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it? No sensei! Pain does not exist in this dojo does it? No sensei! Defeat does not exist in this dojo does it . . ."
8. You always begin a long car ride with a prayer followed by this quote from Back to the Future-"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads!"
9. How many other dads do you know who have made up a dance to the CSI theme song?
10. You taught me how to identify and fully appreciate a good organ solo in oldies music, like 3 Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not to Come."
11. You welcomed Sean into our family and love him unconditionally.
12. You can fix anything!
13. You sacrificed so that Lindsay and I could both attend college without having to worry about tuition payments.
14. You made me work and save to buy my own car. As a result, I was extremely proud of myself for owning that blue, 4-door Saturn outright. I also took care of that car better than I ever would have if it had just been given to me.
15. You taught me to tithe first and pay bills second.
16. You can do wonders with an Excel spreadsheet. From creating your own budget template to managing my four-year plan for college, you are quite the Excel master.
17. When I was younger, you took me to a DC Talk concert and never once complained about how loud the music was.
18. You are a master at puns.
19. You aren't afraid to make up lyrics to songs when you don't know the real ones. "Sister-you don't know who you are. Sister-your pickles are in a jar."
    
20. You are always up for chunking the deuce.
21. You have passed on your love for obscure songs, such as "I'm Henry the VIII," "I've Got a Daisy on My Toe," and "Irving."
22. When mom would go out of town when we were little, we always knew we could look forward to pigs in a blanket for dinner and french toast for breakfast.
23. When I was in Silverados, you participated in the Father/Daughter dance with me.
24. When I didn't make Silverados the first time, you let me be sad about it, but you also showed me the importance of moving on.
    
25. You always have a plan.
26. When Lindsay and I were young, you would fix our hair and pretend that you were Gary, the hairdresser.
27. You let your daughters pursue their own dreams in college. Even though you may have been worried how an English major and a Theatre major would support themselves (and may still be worried about one of us), you didn't force us to pursue your interests (and I'm pretty sure the engineering community thanks you for that.)
28. You demonstrated how a husband should treat his wife-with love, respect, and sometimes not saying anything at all :)
29. You are dependable. You can always be counted on to do what you say you are going to do.
30. Your dependability even extends to some of your best known sayings. If we have cornbread, we can count on you to sing "Jubilation T Cornpone." If we have Caesar salad, you're sure to say "Chay-sa-ray." When the Boddens say the prayer at Thanksgiving dinner that begins "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest," you will always end the prayer by singing "Be our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast.
    
31. You have always provided what our family has needed. And you haven't been afraid to say no to some things we wanted, but didn't really need.
32. You weren't concerned with being my friend, but with being my dad.
33. You can laugh at yourself. "Is that Joan Rivers in that elevator?"
34. When Sean was out of town and there was a skunk in the garage, you were willing to come over and try to get it out.
35. When Sean was out of town and part of our house lost power, you were willing to come over and try to fix it.
36. You knew just the right time in life to stop telling me what to do and start letting me make decisions for myself.
37. When Grandpa passed away, you still came to church and sang with joy to the Lord.
38. You can load a dishwasher and pack a car in a way that completely maximizes the space available.
39. You are always up for having fun. You will still surf and boogie board at the beach, drive bumper boats or go down water slides with us-even if you end up with a broken toe, drenched clothing and a sunburn that earns you the nickname "Tomato Man."
40. You believe that love is a verb.
    

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day Dad!