Happy 62nd Birthday Daddy!!

Today is a milestone birthday for my daddy. He turns 62. He is officially, legally ready for retirement, even though he isn't going to retire yet. He is shooting for those full benefits. I have been insisting that we have a birthday dinner for him. He is currently working night shift and so we couldn't have a big party. So mother and I planned a good lunch with him. She baked him a favorite coconut cake, it is my Aunt Arweeda's recipe. We are going to grill steaks and have the fixins.

My daddy was born May 23rd 1947 in a little country house on the Old Vina Road to Otho Durant and Aberdeen Smelser Daniel. He was their first born child. They moved around alot when he was smaller. One thing that I have always found to be neat was that his Social Security number is totally different than those of us in the South. He said that my grandmother didn't file for it while they were living here, she did it when they were in Ohio and I believe he was about 1 year old. Daddy grew up with two siblings. He has one sister Sharon Joan Aday and one brother Marcus Durant Daniel.
Daddy has always been a very hardworker at everything he has done. He was a farmer the majority of my life and has worked at a chemical plant for 34 years. He is a man with many talents. There is not one thing I can't ask him that he can't answer.
Daddy has always loved the beach. When we were kids he took us to Panama City Beach every summer, with the exception of the year that farming was bad in I believe 1987. We took a short trip that year to Six Flags and Birmingham Zoo. I am not complaining because we had so much fun on that trip.

I have always been a daddy's girl. Whenever I have been in trouble in my life as kid or as an adult....I never want to tell daddy. I just don't want him to be disappointed in me. As a kid, I always loved my daddy but did more things with my momma. As an adult, my daddy has become like my best friend. We really enjoy each other's company on a differnt level. This year he taught me how to plant a garden. He would do the first step and then I would do the rest. I am not sure how great I was at planting....not many of my seeds made it. Everyone keeps saying that the rain beat the seeds in the ground. Maybe they are right.


Daddy I hope you have a great birthday, even though you told me yesterday that it was just another day. I am so thankful to be able to share this birthday with you and hope we have many more. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do for me and I love you so much!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!
(I will post some photos later today...I am running out of time at the moment!)