Happy Birthday PopPop!

Happy birthday to my dad, one of the most amazing men I know! We love you and miss you and hope you have a happy day today, especially your grandson who will be getting his first haircut in honor of you birthday. Here are things you might not know about my dad:

• He hates the name PopPop, but I like it, so that's what Dutch is going to call him.
• There are phases that he goes through. I recall the Native American phase, the Dinotopia phase and, more recently, the Tesla phase. I am similar to him in this way.
• Once when I was younger he got so caught up in an art project that he forgot to pick me up from basketball practice. I had started walking home when he remembered.
• He used to make amazing paper mache masks that everyone thought were beautiful.
• When I was younger we would go on fabulous adventures, hiking or camping. Enchanted Rock was one of my favorites.
• I've only ever been grounded twice and both times were by my dad.
• When I went away for a speech meet my dad painted the ceiling above my bed like the night sky, complete with glow in the dark stars.
• If we were ever annoyed with Dad we would put in the movie Mr. Hobbes Takes a Vacation. For some reason he hates that movie with a passion.
• He and I used to do theatre productions at the Pointe Theatre. Those were some of the best memories I have of childhood.
• Every year on my birthday he would take me on a Daddy/Daughter date. We would do whatever I wanted to do. The most memorable one was when we went and saw The Count of Monte-Cristo and spent the rest of the evening discussing the book and the different versions of the film.
• He re-roofed our entire house in Ephraim with very little help (except that day when the Young Men came by, but that didn't really count since they didn't really help).
• I was very spoiled growing up in the fact that my dad always took care of the big chores. I never had to mow the lawn or take out the garbage or build anything on my own.
• We used to joke that we would stop buying my dad presents and just buy him the instruction manuals. He spent most of Christmas and his birthday reading them anyway!
  

So happy birthday Daddy! I love you and miss you and wish I could be with you. Have a great day and I hope Mama lets you have lima beans for dinner tonight!