Happy Birthday!



Daddy watching me have pictures taken
on my wedding day (May 6, 2006)

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!!!
Today is my Daddy's 65th birthday!  I am going to take time to write a little blog post in his honor, even though he will probably be slightly annoyed with me. 

I love both of my parents for all they have done for me, but there is just something special about my Daddy.  I guess the quote "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy" is the best way to describe our relationship. 

My Daddy was born in Raeford (Hoke County, North Carolina).  He is the oldest of six children (4 boys, 2 girls) born to my very hard-working grandparents.  After graduating from Hoke County High School, he joined the Navy and soon ended up serving on an aircraft carrier in VietNam.  After getting out of the Navy in 1969, he ended up in eastern North Carolina (Carteret County), instead of heading back to Hoke County.  He worked for Carolina Telephone and part-time at a hang-out on the beach.  He swore he would never get married, but he met my Mama and they were married in 1974.  I am the only child my parents had, born in 1980.  I think this provided me some definite advantages...  Being an only child was lonely at times, but it allowed me to have lots of time with each of my parents.  I have awesome memories of activities that I participated in with both of my parents. 

Some of my favorite childhood memories with my Daddy:

• Saturday mornings - When I was little, we spent nearly every Saturday morning doing something together.  We usually would go to Hardee's or Mike's Restaurant on Front Street.  After breakfast, we would sometimes go walk on the Beaufort boardwalk.  I have very vivid memories of getting in a lot of trouble during our Saturday morning boardwalk trips with my Dad.  If you have ever been to Beaufort, you know that there are lots of high price yachts during the summer.  I used to think it was funny to throw rocks at the yachts.  Needless to say, that didn't go over very well.
• Riding bikes to watch softball - The home where I grew up is just up the street from the local ballfields.  From the time I was old enough to ride a bike, I remember going down to the ballfields to watch my Dad's friends play softball.  I never really paid attention to the game, but it was fun to be there with him.
• "Working" - My Daddy owns a small telephone installation and repair business.  He's been doing side jobs probably since he left Carolina Telephone to go to MCAS Cherry Point.  Sometimes, he would let me go to work with him.  Most of the time, I was probably more trouble than anything, but it was always a good time.  I remember making "plugs" for his key systems - there were probably 25 color-coded wires that had to be placed in certain spots, etc.  For some reason he trusted me to do this.

There are way more memories than the three I listed above, but those are the ones that always come back to mind first.

So, Happy Birthday (once again) to my Daddy!  I don't think I could wish for a better Daddy than you!  You named me - a unique first name in 1980 (Regan) and after your sister (Emily-Marie).  You taught me (and continue to teach me) that life isn't always perfect, but if you work hard you will succeed.  While we may not always agree (in fact, we probably disagree more than we agree), we are willing to listen to what the other has to say and try to respect the other's opinion as best possible.  

I LOVE YOU!