if it weren't for this man, i wouldn't be here

 my father's birthday is today! i think of my dad like a simpler version of andrew carnegie. he was raised with nothing, including bootstraps up which to pull himself. as a boy, he recalls a hole in the floor of a room he shared with his siblings. a hole that welcomed a mouse. a mouse that frightened him greatly. he vowed to change his family tree. and he did. 


today he is a self made, self taught success. he quite literally built his life with his own two hands {as well as all of the homes we ever lived in}. 


even though he never went to college and didn't even finish high school, he passionately took a leap of faith. as a young father, he started a business as a subcontractor in the field of construction. there is a scene in a movie i recently watched where a man was trying to climb out of a pit. he was wearing a rope around his waist in case he fell. it wasn't until he removed the rope that he was able to escape the pit. why? because the fear of falling is what motivated him to leap-strong. i thought of my dad and his leap. 

over the years my father dabbled in flooring, but it's drywall and sheet rock that built the company that still thrives today, after 40 something years. if you live in nashville you have seen his work. it stands on the nashville horizon. it is affectionately referred to as "the batman building". his fingerprints are seen at vanderbilt hospital as well as the university and the nissan plant to name a few. i am incredibly proud!

his namesake

today i honor my father. a man to whom i owe my life! from him i inherited my love of the outdoors, my impatience, my ability to see the potential in a piece of junk, my love for good food and good beer {though i would add my taste in beer far surpasses his} and my insatiable love for any and all bodies of water be it ocean, river or creek. we're both pretty cute too-wink, wink.


happiest of birthday, daddy. we can't wait to see you in 2 days. 
xo,
gf