Happy Belated Birthday to the One and Only....

"Poppa Benz"

as I like to call him, or dad.

But you can call him Bret or BB.

Anyway, last Thursday (when I would have posted this but then got stuck with the power outage and spent the weekend in a stupor of loss of sleep), was his last day of work and his 58th birthday. This lucky man is now retired. Join me on my trip down memory lane with my dad.

My dad is quite the character, and back in the 90s he was known to sport a bright t-shirt or tank top with white shorts or the reverse, and his never wear socks with my loafers because they are my only shoes. (He still, does not wear socks, I think my mom, sister, and I are tired of telling him he should).

Being the first child and being a girl I hold a very special place in his heart, as he does in mine. I will always be daddy's little girl, even though, clearly I'm not that small anymore. A girl can dream to have that petite, hourglass figure again, right? Okay, not quite appropriate... Moving on.

Awkward teen phase meet not awkward dad phase. Anyway, maybe not so noticeably in this photo thanks to my lovely chubby cheeks, double chin, and oh so noticeable cleavage for like a 16-year-old, I look a lot like my dad.

We sure put the "merry" in Merry Christmas, don't we?

The similarities are astounding. Weird faces, awkward hand movements, oh and if you hear us talk, we talk the same. Example. My college roommate (friend from high school) who was not super close with my family and never spent much time around them, spent a day with my parents once. As soon as she was alone with me, she said, "Oh my god, your dad talks just like you! It is so freaky. I was sitting there and I am thinking, did he really just say that, Lindsay would so say that." Thanks dad. :)

His favorite daughter, don't tell Danielle.

Aww mom and dad.

A favorite photo. Much of our summers were spent like this. Thanks dad for your Mexican blood so I don't look like a ghost and easily pick up some color.

A recent photo with the other child. My dad loves his cigars, and he loves his casinos. I suppose that's what retirement will be like for him. He said he's going to do some fishing too.

I have the best dad. I'm sorry that I can't share him with you. He always makes me laugh, can fix anything, enjoys the same music as me, knows when to say it and when not too, and would do anything for me in a heartbeat.