Happy Birthday, Daddio!

Well...being on vacation kinda makes blogging go to the back burner.
While I was in South Carolina for 2 weeks, my daddy had his birthday!
And he is most certainly deserving of a post!
So here goes!

My daddy is one who never was big in to celebrating his own birthday. Whenever we ask him what he wants, he can rarely tell us something so it usually results in the popular Zebra Cakes & Cap'n Crunch. I had the brilliant idea of getting him the Andy Griffith seasons...I figured it would last me awhile. I'm all out now. Time to figure out something new for this daddio of mine.

My father is an amazing musician. He always amazes me with how much he knows and how talented he is. Ok check this...he has composed trios for oboe, flute, & clarinet, piano solos, and piano accompaniments and he can't even play them. Who does that? Who can just hear the part in their head and write it down. My daddy, that's who. He has written some pretty cool stuff and I've only heard a few of them. I'm glad I got some of my parent's musical genes.I really love my daddy's lap. It has always been a safe place. I still climb up in the chair with him...and I'm 23. He always goes, "What do you want?" and groans...but I know he likes it. What dad doesn't want their little girls still wanting to cuddle with them? I know my daughters will love it just as much as I do.I've always loved my daddy's sense of humor. He can make us laugh whether it's from his jokes, dancing in the living room, or the same one-liners he has in his repetoire. I won't lie, his dance moves are pretty sweet. I'm almost positive that's how he got my mother to marry him. haha. If you've seen Bill Cosby dance, that's just about how Mark Maurer cuts the rug. Dance parties in our house are always pretty funny.I've always known that our family is his first priority. He has worked so hard since he got married to make sure my mama and his girls were taken care of. We had everything we needed and most of what we wanted. I learned the value of hard work from him and that attribute has certainly paid off as I've gone out on my own. Lastly, I just love how my daddy gets more tender with every year. He's always been a loving father, but I love that he becomes more of a softy with every birthday. You can tell the difference it makes with my mom, with his church responsibilities, and with his children. It's always a great day when a card pops in the mail from him that just let me know he's thinking about me. Happy Birthday, Mr. Daddy. You certainly are my hero. I hope I have been able to enrich your life, as you have mine. Thank you for always being able to provide for our family. Thank you for being the Priesthood leader in our home. Thank you for loving mama. And thank you for loving us girls. If you can't tell, I adore you and think you're pretty great. I wish you many happy birthdays to come. I love you, Papa Bear!