happy birthday (belated)

It's taken 33 years and two 3-year-olds to teach me something: I am very much my father's son.

• I love music and count listening to my dad play James Brown tracks featuring early Maceo as a big reason for why I play saxophone today
• photography has become a bigger and bigger passion (I still have my dad's original SLR EOS, lenses, filters...fun, fun, fun)
• if I find myself in an elementary school parking lot driving a front-wheel drive, Ford LTD boat after a big snow storm I find myself needing to do doughnuts
• I love animals (I can't remember how many pets we had growing up)
• I've often thought about going back to school for Math...this despite getting so far behind in math at one point in elementary school that it took chicken pox, a week out of school recovering on the couch with a math book and a big pad of paper, and my dad's continued help to get back on track
• I like being in control of my situation
• I get frustrated
• I can grow a beard
• I like figuring out puzzles
• I play guitar for fun (although I'm in no way as good at it as my dad)
• I love good salmon
• I worry about my kids

I'm sure I can think of plenty other things...but it all comes down to this. I see myself in my kids and, through them, I see just how much my parents influenced me. I love you, dad. Happy birthday. Sorry this is a day late...I was stuck playing a wedding gig. :)