58...

Today is my father's 58th birthday. So, in his honor... here are the top 58 reasons (in no particular order) why I love my dad!

58. He drives with his knee.
57. He likes unsweetened tea.
56. He makes sweet tea when I come home.
55. He'll answer to "Ruby."
54. When ordering food he always says "that'll be all."
53. He's a good card player.
52. He drives fast.
51. He loses his patience every now and then.
50. He loves God.
49. He is the master on a grill.
48. He actually likes to cut the grass.
47. He has more UGA shirts than anyone I know.
46. He can talk with like Donald Duck.
45. He's worked over 30 years at E&E.
44. He shot the course record at Sawgrass on PGA Tour Golf.
43. He likes to laugh.
42. He hates to lose.
41. He's like MacGyver with a roll of duck tape (my football pants...).
40. He prays for me.
39. He is a good friend.
38. He stocks the pantry full of goodies for my sister and I.
37. He watched wrestling with me and pretended to be a real fan.
36. He loves my Stepmother, Nancy.
35. He's a great Papa.
34. He's a generous man.
33. He made vacation the highlight of the summer.
32. He's still a Braves fan after all these years.
31. He has found a way to be lovingly firm.
30. He set boundaries for me.
29. He teaches me how to love.
28. He once caught me listening to 2 Live Crew in the laundromat.
27. He's overcome some hard times.
26. He let me ride 3 wheelers in Douglas... to the chagrin of my mother.
25. He always gave me $20 for the movies.
24. He never asked for cash back.
23. He's loved my friends... especially Big D.
22. He loves my sister, Amy.
21. He values family.
20. He's been to Six Flags more times than any other father.
19. He's a good son.
18. He re-introduced me to Spirituality.
17. He pitched the ball right into my sweet spot.
16. He finally got another dog after all these years.
15. He believes in exercise... NordicTrack style.
14. He didn't kill me for all the stupid things I've done.
13. He helped me build one of the finest baseball card collections ever.
12. He believes in the innate goodness of people.
11. He believes in me.
10. He's knows this is my favorite number.
09. He's been married to a UF fan for many years.
08. He let me win as a child.
07. He tried to hammer me as a teenager.
06. He still collects pennies.
05. He taught me how to drive.
04. He likes chocolate and ice cream... even together.
03. He gave me his name... kind of!
02. He loved me first.
01. Because he's my dad.

I love you dad! Happy 58th!