The Old Goat on Route 66

Dear Old Goat,

On Sunday you turn 66 and like the route you have reached a historic milestone. So in honor of your 66th birthday I would like to list 66 reasons (in no particular order) as to why I love you and am so thankful that you have allowed me to call you "Dad" for the past 23 years.

66 Reasons I love My Old Goat

1. Your love of travel;
2. Your desire to learn about different cultures;
3. The notes and poems you used to put in my "Emergency" kits for school;
4. Because you took me out to lunch, just the two of us, to try to understand me;
5. Our trips to the zoo together and the chili dogs we used to eat afterwards;
6. Our road trips to Colorado or Sacramento;
7. The stops we made during the road trips like the dinosaur museum and Salt Lake...even though I didn't get out of the car;
8. Your persistence to open my eyes and see reality - the world;
9. Your devotion to mom;


10. Your devotion to me and the Bambino;
11. Your devotion to your family and friends;
12. Your crankiness - you're a grumpy Old Goat but you wouldn't be you if you weren't;
13. How you've provided for your family and not just mom and me but the many others;
14. Your bravery, it is much braver to choose to fight for life than to give up;
15. Your good credit and I don't mean financially - you were indebted to someone for your life and you payback the community by sharing your story;


16. Your bread...it's beyond delicious;
17. Your cooking in general - oh how I miss it;
18. Your love of cooking;
19. How you were teaching me to be tech savvy since I was 5-years-old with the introduction of a Mac;
20. The abacus and many other global toys/tools from your many travels;
21. Our trips to the library - I can still remember what it looks like;
22. Company picnics - even though they were boring I was still happy to go with you;
23. My broken leg and how you were there in the room when I found I wouldn't be able to play my last season of high school soccer - you looked just as broken hearted as I did but still put a hopeful smile on your face for my sake;
24. How you let me watch you shave in the mornings when I was little and would let me pretend to shave my face....even though I'm a GIRL!
25. Bedtime stories;
26. Hanging out at the pool;
27. Father/daughter dances;


28. Making Missions out of papier mache;
29. Going to Missions to help me learn about my school project;
30. San Diego Padre games...or the tailgate parties?;
31. Disneyland;
32. Knotts Berry Farm;
33. Birthday parties with favorite homecooked meals (you & mom);
34. Moving to Seattle or more like the drive from Sacramento to Seattle;
35. How I got to spend time with just you for a few days for our first Christmas in Seattle;
36. Crossing over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge for my first time and how you told me its history as we drove on it;
37. Visiting Grammy and the family in Sacramento;
38. Preparing for Spelling Bees;
39. Trolley rides to Old Town San Diego;
40. Mission Bay and San Fernando Beach picnics;
41. You jogging and me riding my bike on Saturday mornings when we lived in California;
42. Helping me with extra credit homework for when we went to Sacramento for Thanksgivings;
43. Actually helping me with a lot of homework throughout the years;
44. My first Spanish/English dictionary and how you were trying to get me to learn Spanish before high school;
45. Letting me play soccer;
46. Buying me rollerblades - you know the ones I never used...or wait...I used them twice;
47. Trying to teach me how to cook - numerous times;
48. How you were looking for the best gift for the Bambino's shower;
49. The Bambino's Christmas gifts - we love the fuzzy lion and elephant;
50. When you and mom would visit me in college and in Boston;
51. How you always listened to me bitch about whatever was pissing me off at the moment;
52. Riding rollercoasters with you;
53. Our plans to go white water rafting together;
54. How we share the same love for spicy and stinky foods;
55. Paying for college - thank you and so sorry but mostly thank you;
56. Your support for me to go to live abroad;
57. When you and mom would get mad at me for not spending enough time at home when I came to visit during holidays and the summer while I was still in college (how naive I was to think that you were just being pissy parents when you two just missed me);
58. Your e-mails with pictures or jokes or presentations of beautiful professional photography;
59. Your e-mails with words of encouragement and love;
60. You always came back home after a long business trip abroad;
61. Earth Days;
62. Jersey Boys and Madame Butterfly;
63. How you still love me even though I know I've disappointed you a couple of times in life;
64. The day you came to get me;
65. The letter you sent comparing your and the Bambino's birth stats;
66. How even though you didn't have to have me in your life, you chose to love me and call me your daughter.

I could list more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Love,
Princess PPGB and the Bambino