Dad's Birfday!

Me & Padre.

Today is not my dad's brithday. It was on the 11th. & I was a jerk and did not make enough time out of my day on his actual birthday to post this. But today we're going out to dinner to celebrate w/ him. So I feel like I'm good.

This is my padre. His name is Jerry. Let me tell you about Jerry. My dad was the first person to hold me in the hospital. He counted and made sure that I had all 10 of my fingers and my toes. He and I never separated from that moment. He did everything with me. He taught me to brush my teeth. How to ride my bike. He read me a story every night before bed and always made cool voices to go with the characters. When I was 7 my parents made the decision to split. Mom went to Alabama, and dad stayed here. I went to Alabama with mom at first and dad came to the rescue and brought me back to Ohio were I stayed. He gave yup everything to be a single parent to his daughter when he didn't have to. He made me dinner. Made sure my homework was done. Took me to parks. Never missed a cheerleading game or practice. Never missed a softball game or practice (I'll never forget when I hit my first double and the second I got to second base I looked up at him we both gave eachother a thumbs up and he winked at me. He was proud. I felt awesome. As cheesy as it may seem, I'll never forget that little moment). He went to all my award ceremonies and cried when I got inducted into NJHS. He took me shopping and acted like he knew what outfits were good. He always made sure I had what I needed. He was there. Not saying that my whole life we were just a happy father daughter couple all the time- but nonetheless, he was there. I knew everyday at 4:30 my dad would come in from work and he would make everything okay and make me safe again.

He worked hard his whole life. He taught me a little work goes a long way. He taught me not to ask for help unless you need it; learn how to make it on your own. He taught me how important it is to learn something new everyday. He taught me how to stand up for myself and what is right. He taught me that loving your child and showing that love everyday should be the most important thing on your to-do list. He taught me how to be real. Never be something your not.

And he helped create me. So therefore, he's pretty fly to me. Happy Birthday!