Tommy is 61!

Today is my Daddy's Birthday!

My Daddy is such a precious man!  I love everything about him.  

I remember when I was little, I used to be mesmerized by how he could whistle.  One day I was in the driveway with him while he was working on the car.  I asked him to teach me and he stopped to show me how to hold my mouth and by the end of the day, I was whistling like a champ. I could do it like him and I thought I was special...  He made me feel like that all the time... special...

My dad was a hard worker when it was time to work, but when he was home, he was totally present. I never felt that his affections were divided between us and anyone or anything else. He was committed, constant, protective, kind and hilarious! He joked with us all the time and I loved being with him. He coached our softball team until we were tired of playing, he brought his big ol video camera (you know the ones with the microphone on the front?! ;) ) and recorded every gymnastic routine I ever did and was there when I cheered in high school.  He always encouraged us to try any new thing we thought might interest us, convincing us we would be great at it. He would have done anything for us.  I knew it then and I'm even more sure of it now.   He led our family in a dedicated pursuit of the Lord and by his example, we saw a daily picture of what the love, faithfulness and mercy of a Heavenly Father might look like.  

He also loved my mama in front of us.  Do you know what a big deal that is?  He gave my sister and me a great gift by letting us see him love her every day. I never wondered from day to day, what my life would look like.  There was an awesome feeling of security growing up in my house.  My daddy set a standard for us and made us confident enough to be picky about the men in our lives.  He treated us like we were worth so much.  I learned early that I could count on him and he's never let me down.    That's who my Daddy is;  loyal, committed, dependable... AMAZING!

I love you Daddy!

Our Thing

 I wish I could paint a portrait of my night last night. ;)

 At one point I just stopped to look around and this is what I saw...  I was sitting on my couch covered with my favorite blanket.  The Texas Rangers were on our TV and they were scoring one point after another in the last playoff game of the season.  A win solidified that WE (yes WE ;) ) are World Series Bound!  Jack was sitting on my left side and was leaning his head on my shoulder and talking non-stop about every awesome play made by his favorite Ranger, Josh Hamilton.  He was so excited and smiling from ear to ear!... Will and Wes were sitting across the room from each other laughing and arguing about which player on the Rangers is actually the best.  They were arguing but were totally happy and bonding over the moment...  Ben was sleeping quietly and didn't even move when we would scream to celebrate an awesome play.  Scout was curled up on my lap, occasionally looking up to make sure I still knew she was there.  She excitedly wagged her tail every time we cheered like she knew exactly what was happening!  John was on the other side of me and I realized that we had been holding hands on the couch for so long that my fingers were asleep...  but I wouldn't let go for any reason!  I'm so incredibly in love with him and I can feel how much he loves me and nothing is more safe than that feeling.

Don't you love those moments when you can not imagine another place, another person or another activity that you would trade your current surroundings for?!  Those moments where you, out of the blue, notice that the joy in your heart is about to make you explode?!  They aren't moments you plan or try to set up, but they just happen like they are an actual gift God has wrapped up and dropped in your lap.  Last night was one of the most perfect nights of my life... and I spent it in my pajamas! ;)

I posted on Facebook yesterday, a quote by Billy Beane from the movie Moneyball 
~"It's hard not to be romantic about baseball."  I love this quote.  It's so true for me.  The romance has nothing to do with the actual game or the players.  It's romantic and wonderful to me because my family, made up of 5 guys and me, with big age gaps, have found that thing that excites us all.  We love to go to games, to watch games on TV and to talk about the players that we all know and love...  Baseball is romantic because it's "our thing" as a family.

I'm so excited the Rangers are going to the World Series!  That means a few more games and a few more possibilities for nights like last night...   Thanks Rangers...  Thanks God...