Man of the Year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD! And here are 10 reasons why he really is the best...

1.) He taught me to appreciate good music. I used to flail myself around the living room, dancing and reciting every word to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD as well as Aerosmith's Greatest Hits. You name the artist... Billy Joel, Tom Petty, the Eagles, Paul Simon, Chicago... if they were good, they were being played in my Dad's car. He used to play DJ at all of his friend's parties.... sound familiar to anyone who has attended a party with me or Dee?

2.) He is the only male in the house. A wife and three daughters. We never even had a male dog. Hello, estrogen... yet he handled it like a pro. God bless him. And give him a few grandsons.

3.) He is one of the funniest people in the entire world. He tells the BEST stories... ones that I ask him to repeat over and over again. I hope I have just an ounce of his sense of humor.

4.) While the three of us girls were eating breakfast when we were younger, he used to run downstairs through the kitchen dressed in only his boxers and a t-shirt saying, "I'm late for work! Just woke up! Gotta run! Love you girls!" and would run out the door to the garage. Being as gullible as we were, we would chase after him screaming, "DADDDD NOOO you don't have any pants on!!! You can't go to work like that!!!" Always kept us on our toes.

5.) He has traveled all over the world. He has been to almost every state in the U.S. and to so many other countries. The best stories involve Japan and the business men singing karaoke across the dinner table.... in English... with straight faces. I would give anything to be a fly on a wall to see my Dad in that situation.

6.) He has been the most faithful fan to the New York Jets. For those that know their history, that says a lot about him. But soon enough he will be rewarded for his dedication.... J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!

7.) He is the most encouraging and supportive Dad that three girls could ask for. No matter what sport we wanted to play, courses we wanted to study, places we wanted to live... he has backed us up 100%.

8.) He has been the best example for what I want in a husband and in a Dad for my children (in the far-off future...), and let me just say, it hasn't been easy to find somebody with his qualities.

9.) Remember when it was funny in high school to make inappropriate comments about your friend's Dads? Without going into too much detail, let's just say my Dad was the most popular.

10.) Here comes the cheese... but it needs to be said. Dad has always told us how proud he is of us and how lucky he is to be our Dad, but I'm not sure if he knows how proud we are of him. We are told on a regular basis by friends, family, co-workers, etc, what good people our parents are. And they're right... we are the lucky ones.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I love you!