PWC

Today has been one of those blurry days.

This school semester has me in high-gear, but I'm learning more than ever.

Add in work, a personal life, and time for myself and you get a very fast-paced Caitlin.

But, today is my dad's birthday. And even though I only spent moments with him after work this evening, I owe him much more [uh, like my life].

So, here are some qualities of my dad:

1. He loves coffee. Thewholeworld knows this.

2. He's awesome, and always has an optimistic view.

3. He's spiritual. When I was a kid I used to wonder if he was an angel.

4. He's patient. My God the man is patient. Who else would wait two hours in a Goodwill parking lot on a Sunday afternoon while their wife and daughter are waiting at the store's back storage doors because the employees are bringing out new furniture?

5. He's handy. Hang some blinds? Sure. Install a light fixture in my bathroom? No problem. Run plumbing to my new washer and dryer, install said washer and dryer, and build a stand for them to sit on and look pretty? I'd love to.

The list goes on and on, really. There were so many times I called for him growing up. Any time I would wake up thirsty in the middle of the night I would yell across the house for him to get me a drink of water [I was/am scared of the dark]. And he wouldn't even complain. One time I called him while he was at work because I swore there were monkeys outside our house. He assured me that it was just squirrels barking. Really? Squirrels bark? I still find this odd. He has endless stories of growing up, military experiences, and everyday life. He baptized me when I knew I wanted to follow God through my life. He told me that having stitches taken out of my foot wouldn't hurt. And even though it did, I still felt braver because of him. He once had lunch with me in second grade and told all the boys in the lunch line that he had shotguns at our house. Then, all of the boys told him that I had a boyfriend who happened to be standing in that line. He met all of my boyfriends after that, until one day he told one specific boyfriend that he could marry me. Then, after all of the bridesmaids walked down the aisle before me, my dad was the last one standing by my side, holding my hand, telling me "how remarkable this day is".

Happy birthday daddy...

and thank you.