Happy 70th Birthday, Daddy (Papa!)

Today is my father's 70th birthday.  OMG!  70th!!!

I've always been a daddy's girl and today is just another amazing reason to tell the world why I love him so much (and why Daniel loves his Papa so much):

1.  My dad puts his girls (me, my sister and my mom) before anything in the world... especially himself.
2.  My dad has treated Matt like his own son since the day I introduced them (my dad likes to tell the story of Matt skating up to a bar on his skateboard).
3.  My dad gives the best infant massage.  This started with Julia Guiness when she was one day old and still holds true today.
4.  My dad tells ridiculously bad jokes.  Mind you, he thinks they are hysterical (and, sometimes they are pretty funny) but most of the time my sister and I tell him they are lame and he laughs anyway and says, "I know".
5.  My dad fixes everything.  Nowadays it might take him a little longer to complete (cue my mom to complain that he's not finishing everything on time) but the man has put more energy into making his home up to date than anyone else who doesn't remodel homes for a living. 
6.  My dad works harder than most people I know, even though the outcome isn't as lucrative as he probably hopes.  My dad is a contractor and, at 70, still does a lot of manual labor.  He deserves to win the lottery but still takes pride in helping people out every single day.  His can-do spirit is absolutely inspiring.
7.  I learned the following important life lessons from my dad:
- How to drive offensively, not defensively (and how to stop short)
- Talk to strangers and be super nice to everyone - whether they are paying your paycheck or bagging your groceries
- Love your family and tell them that you love them every day (I learned this from my mom & Dad, but being a Daddy's Girl, I'll give credit to Dad today)
- Love food and don't feel guilty about it (I could also blame him for the 20 extra pounds I have right now, but I won't.. or did I just do that?)
- Never say "shut up" to your mother.  Ever.
- Drink whiskey to get rid of a sore throat
8.  My dad is an INCREDIBLE grandfather.  His eyes light up when he sees Daniel and watching them together melts my heart.
9.  My dad is an INCREDIBLE husband and he still opens the car door for my mom and buys her flowers.
10.  My dad is the MOST INCREDIBLE father of all time and I love him with all of my heart and soul. 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!