Pops Turns 60!

My dad (these days, known as Pops!) turned 60 on March 22. I knew I wanted to do something special for him. He is a pretty simple guy and would never say he 'needed' or 'wanted' anything. More than anything, I thought hearing from friends/family from his past would mean the most to him on this somewhat 'monumental' day! Thanks to Facebook.....I was able to track down several friends and asked them to write notes to my dad - sharing funny stories, special memories or notes of encouragement. I built a spreadsheet listing names of people from Schenectady, NY (where he grew up) to Harding (where he went to college) to St. Louis (where we spent most of our growing up years) to friends/teachers in San Antonio. I also enlisted the help of his brothers to make sure all family was included. It was a huge effort, but it paid off BIG! I collected over 60+ letters and compiled them in an online scrapbook. My first one ever. I love how it turned out and I think my dad will treasure it in the years to come! More than anything, I loved ready stories from childhood friends about what my dad was like as a kid! Madden and I traveled to San Antonio a few weeks ago to celebrate with him. Ben was home on Spring Break, so the family was "all together". We had Pappasitos for dinner and then celebrated with TWO cakes! Mom was sick, so she didn't get to participate. :( Pops was very stingy with the chocolate covered strawberries on the chocolate cake, but somehow Madden managed to get one!

Saturday, Ben had to go back to college, so we took a few pics!

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We relaxed a lot and Madden played with Ben's old toys! He had a blast!

Happy 60th Birthday, Pops! You are loved!