Greatest Dad in the World!

One of my favorite things about this blog is that I have the opportunity to use it to publically announce my respect and affection for the great people in my life.  Well, I wanted to do that very thing today by wishing my dad a very Happy Birthday!

I have many very fond memories of my dad throughout my life.  Many of them are actually very funny and all of them have truly impacted my life and what type of a person I have grown up to be.  Just to help make his day a little bit sweeter - I thought I'd detail some of my favorite memories. 

1. We went to school in Akron, IA, about a 15 minute drive from our house.  Unfortunately, when we were younger, we had to ride the bus & that meant an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon.  Dad had to make a lot of trips to Sioux City for parts, so some days he would swing by the school to pick us up.  That was the best feeling in the world to see Dad's car when we walked out of the school.  You never knew when it was going to happen, so it was such a treat.  Plus, I remember that it always involved a stop for a snack or drink before heading back home :). 
2. My dad is a mechanic, so many of my memories involve cars in one way or another.  Yes, we had some doozie's of cars to drive as us girls got older.  Before we ever left the house to go anywhere, Dad always yelled out "Make sure to check the oil & watch out for deer!"  Honestly, this is the best bit of advice that I have ever gotten in my lifetime.  So, even though my son has a nicer car than I ever did when I was his age AND we live in town, I say the same thing to him whenever he leaves the house.  Got to pass on the tradition :).
3. When I was little, I was deathly afraid of the dark.  Not sure why, but I remember really freaking out when it was bedtime.  We had a great dog, Max, who was there to protect us at the house.  Probably my favorite member of Dad was one extra scary night when I just couldn't fall asleep.  Dad took me outside to sit on the ground in front of our house.  Max came and laid right by us.  Dad explained to me that there was never anything to be scared of because he and Max would be there to protect me.  This memory has stayed with me for that many years because I know that my Dad is always there to protect me no matter what comes up!

Thanks for being such a great dad, Dad!  Hope you have very wonderful day & sorry that we can't be there to celebrate your birthday with you.  Love you!  Kristen