Happy Birthday!

This post first appeared last year, but I thought it was due again...  (Edits are in pink)

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!!! 
Today is my Daddy's 65th 66th 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.  Actually, he might enjoy the attention...Who knows...    

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.  Now that I think back on it, I think I should have been paid for this work :-)  I mean, I was keeping him from having to do it, right?  Maybe...  He probably had to redo most of them.

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 found a couple quotes, etc. that I thought were applicable:

They say that from the instant he lays eyes on her, a father adores his daughter. Whoever she grows up to be, she is always to him that little girl in pigtails. She makes him feel like Christmas. In exchange, he makes a secret promise not to see the awkwardness of her teenage years, the mistakes she makes or the secrets she keeps. ~~ Unknown

A father is someone that holds your hand at the fair makes sure you do what your mother says holds back your hair when you are sick brushes that hair when it is tangled because mother is too busy lets you eat ice cream for breakfast but only when mother is away he walks you down the aisle and tells you everything is gonna be ok.  ~~ Unknown

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.  ~~ Jim Valvano 

I LOVE YOU!