Hi friends! Today is a very special day because someone very special in my life is celebrating a birthday!! My good ole’ dad. My first love. The man I look up to. My best friend. The fixer of everything. The guy that always knows exactly what to say or do. My goof ball of a dad. He is the very best and I am so blessed to have grown up with him as my dad. I figured I would tell yall a little more about the man that means so incredibly much to me. This one you may want to grab a cup of coffee or wine. If you are a mom or emotional, you may want to grab a tissue too. Thanks for helping me celebrate him today, friend. This is what life is all about. This right here. The people next to you.

Yall! My dad is A NUT! A complete goof ball who has zero filter. He is a straight shooter and just always tells it like he sees it…whether you agree or not. Sometimes it stings, but a majority of the time he hits the nail on the head with the words he says. You can always count on a honest opinion from him. I cherish his advice and words.

My dad is a doer. My mom, sister and I are convinced he doesn’t know how to stop and do nothing for a day. He is always on the go and doing something. It used to be annoying when we were younger, but man am I thankful to be raised by a man that does what he says he is going to do. If he doesn’t know how to fix something, Lord knows he is going to find a way. He is resourceful and always taught us to be that way too. He would always say,”Don’t tell me why you can’t, just let me know when you have it figured out.”

My dad is just a good man. He is loyal. He is kind. He is loving. He is patient… very patient. Having a house full of girls he had to be. He is attentive. He is understanding and supportive. He will get in your chili when needed, but you know it is always coming from a place of love. He leads with love…always. He is a teacher and teaches us how to do/fix things. My dad encourages us to be better and strive for more. He has raised us to be independent contributors to society.

Something so sweet about my dad is how he treats my mom. My dad LOVES and adores my mom. He still flirts with her after 30+ years of marriage. They are the cutest, yall. He takes care of my mom and she takes care of him. What a sweet marriage they have. He is a man that has set a high bar for other men in my life and a man I look up to. The man I hope is around for a very long time. We have a running bet that he has to live to be 90 and then he can check out. Regardless of his time here, I am just thankful for each time I spend with him or talk to him. The moments with my dad are ones I cherish so very much.

My dad always works hard inside and out of the home. We were always some of the first kids dropped off at daycare and the last ones to be picked up. My dad would always make us a priority. Even to this day he does. I could go on and on and on about how great I think my dad is, but something so fun about blogging is being able to go back and read things you wrote about. I know my dad is great. He always has been. Something I want to cherish are the memories I have made with him. The moments he showed up in big ways. The moments that seemed so small to him that were so big to me. Want to hear a few?

My dad is my workout buddy. I have been working out with him since I was 12. On the weekends I would help him with chores and whatever else he needed help with. I enjoyed chores because it meant I got to spend time with him. Sometimes I was exhausted and over it, but my little heart was so happy spending time with him. Another fun fact about me, quality time is my number one love language. Coincidence… I think not.

When I was younger my dad had a rule (he had a lot of rules), but this was one.. if we ever needed to talk and it didn’t matter what time of the day it was he would stop what he was doing and listen to us. We called them fireside chats. They were heart-to-hearts and whatever was said in that conversation… stayed. Junior high was tough for me and those fireside chats kept me alive. They kept me going. I knew at the end of the day my parents loved me and would always be there for me. Fireside chats still are a thing today. He always makes time to talk to me. Something that means so much to me is that he calls me a couple times a week on his way home from work. He knows I am at home alone and nights are when my mind races the most. He calls and we talk for about an hour. We talk about everything and anything, solve the worlds problems or just talk about our days. Yall, these calls are the best. They make my day.

My dad raised me to be independent. Very independent. He taught me how to manage a house and all the responsibilities that come with it, manage my money, work hard at my job and work towards the things I want, be a good person, how to fix things, and be resourceful. The list is never ending. He made it to where I didn’t need a man to take care of things… that would just be a bonus… I could do things on my own. I actually had the nickname “Mule” for a while because I was his helper for all projects. Putting in the sprinkler system, fixing sprinkler heads, moving heavy tile boxes, moving furniture, mowing yards, etc. I was his work horse… or mule… I like work horse better though – ha!

Something that has always stuck with me are certain sayings he always says. He used to tell me,”Quitting is not an option.” He would push me to be better, drive me to all my sports/karate classes, practice with me and he taught me that anything you want you can have if you work for it. Sometimes if you aren’t the best you need to spend more time getting better. It is always easy when you know and if there is a will there is a way. Both of my parents worked and were always pulled in 50 different directions, but they made time for us. To help us be better in every area of our life. As an adult, thank God!! I am SO thankful they took the time when we were younger to be present in our lives and SO thankful to this day they still are!

My dad and I got our black belts together. We water-ski together. We hang out and go out dancing together. My dad is so much fun!! He has helped me move. He helped me muck out our house when it flooded from Hurricane Harvey. He picks up my dogs when they babysit them. He workouts with me. He listens to me. He supports me and encourages me. He is my biggest cheerleader and someone I admire so much!! My dad is one of the best men I know and I hit the jackpot when God chose me to be his daughter. Yall, I could go on and on and on and on and on about my dad. I could sit and tell you so many stories of how goofy we are, times he has been there in big and little ways, how great he is, advice he has given, and then some. He is my best friend and I will love him forever and always! Happy birthday to my sweet dad!! May this year be incredible!!

Just a heads up you will hear about him a lot on this blog so just get ready. Thank you for reading and spending some of your day with me, friends! Be the joy and shine bright! This life is so sweet… even when it beating you up a little. Hang in there! Have an amazing day!!

Amanda