ode to dad

although this is not a true "ode" as in a lyrical verse, it is a blog post in praise of my dad, who had a birthday yesterday. i'm about to brag about how awesome he is. and i'll post a couple fun facts at the end :)

i have always had a special spot for my dad. we have always been buddies. he is pretty much the coolest guy in the history of the world. ever since i was little he would tell me the story of when i was a baby. this was pop's version... not necessarily the true version. but it is my favorite.

when i was born, i was so small that he had to feed me with a q-tip. i would sleep in a matchbox on his desk while he was working on designs for his landscape business. when i was big enough, he kept me in his front pocket on his shirt and took me everywhere with him. I'm pretty sure that part is right because i can imagine perfectly how he smelled and the way he held his wide pencil behind his ear. or maybe thats just because i used to sneak downstairs at night and hop up on his strong knee and sit with him while he worked at his design desk and the rest of the house slept. i would drink up that smell and rest my head on his gray hoodie until he would carry me back upstairs to bed. whenever i was sad or even in trouble, i would go to dad to be held. i don't remember ever seeing or hearing him upset with me (until i was around 14, when my bedroom flooded and rikki and i decided not to tell him because we thought he'd be upset... then he was upset. remember that rik!? HA!). he wasn't even mad when i tossed my fishing rod over my shoulder and hooked his hand. oops. or when i skipped a day of first grade because i was late and afraid i would get in trouble. he found me in the back yard (thanks to alli's excellent tattling skills) and walked me to school.

i grew up thinking that all dad's were like him. but since i've gotten older, i realize that he is the only one like him! he is so capable and can do anything. and i mean anything. he is more patient with most people than is humanly possible. he does whatever it takes to get the job done at home, at work, and especially at church. you ask him to do something and its done. i am amazed that i was able to come to earth and have the dad that i have. i realize how blessed i have been through out my life because of his never-ending example of goodness and kindness. and to top it off, he is the image of the perfect grandpa!

alrighty, on to the fun facts about dave browne!

and since he is now 59, 

i will pick 9 fascinating facts.

* his 'fro could rival any black man's back in the 70's. his classmates used to see how many pencils they could hide in his hair during class.

* this guy knows his music! most evenings he can be found listening to iTunes next to the computer.

* he has gone cross country 5 times on his bicycle. (once to atlanta and back-1500 miles, and the others out west or back- 2500 + miles. holy crap, this guy's amazing)

* he'll eat pretty much anything, including things that are years past their expiration date. guts o' steel.

* only fear he has is snakes.

* tarpon and snook fear him. and probably dolphins too. he pretty much rivals chuck norris.

* he has been to girls camp more years than any man should have to. not positive the number, but it's easily been over 10 times.

* he worked at a tyson chicken factory in college. his job: breaking the chicken legs by slamming the legs straight down on the table as hard as possible. he also worked at a window company in provo while at college too and ate at the hostess outlet next door for lunch each day.

* he traveled to samoa twice to learn the language, plan out where we would live, and change is career- just because my mom hated cold weather. obviously, they decided on florida instead. but he still had to change his career, which i don't know of many men that would be able to do that with a family of 7.