Celebrating my hero...my dad

Today is not only Father’s Day, but also the planned celebration of my dad’s 60th birthday at Tarpy’s Roadhouse Restaurant in his hometown of Monterey, CA. My dad is truly the most amazing man that I know. Anyone who is fortunate enough to meet my dad will agree that he is patient, compassionate, loving, well-respected, and humble.

From my earliest memories, my dad has always been my biggest supporter, the best advice-giver, and the most influential person in my life. Growing up, my dad taught me the importance of 1) expressing love (from the little things like packing my brown bag lunch when I was in grade school with a daily handwritten note on my napkin ), 2) managing my finances (I still have the check register that he taught me how to record my weekly $5 allowances when I was 10 years old), 3) helping those less fortunate (through church community service/outreach programs), and 4) the importance of family (today, approximately 100 of our family and friends drove near and far to celebrate his 60th birthday, which is truly a testament to how he has touched so many people’s lives). Happy Father’s Day and Happy 60th Birthday, dad. I love you more than words can express.

I know parenting has been a team effort between my mom and dad, so I would be remiss in not also acknowledging and thanking my mom for providing that same support system throughout my life as well. Also, a big mahalo to my Aunty Wendy, Uncle Jeff, Jillian, and Jaqueline for allowing us to stay at their house for the weekend. We had a great time...it’s times like these that I truly miss living close to family.

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