Happy Birthday Ralph Poindexter!

Today is my Pop's birthday and even though he doesn't read my blog, I'm wishing him the best anyway. (My mom occasionally peruses my blog and I'm sure she'll pass along my well wishing...) Anyway, I'm not going to say too much because my dad wouldn't want it that way, but I will say that he's the best dad a kid could hope to have.

I have many fond memories of him including fishing trips, road trips (I desperately wanted to be 'shotgun' on some of our road trips when he was driving and the few times I was granted that pleasure I thought I was the most special girl in the world.), eating kippered snacks with him, having 'pretend' picnics on my kid dishes (I used to lovingly serve him saltine crackers, frozen peas and broken dry spaghetti on my kid dishes.), etc..the list goes on and on.

But one of the most famous stories is the one where he taught his young, trusting and impressionable daughter that his name was Ralph Poindexter. He'd been telling me this for years as a toddler so when I finally started Kindergarten and the teacher asked me my father's name I replied very naturally, "Ralph Poindexter." My teacher knew my parents and thought I must be kidding with her but when I became very adamant in my assurances that my dad was indeed Ralph, she was concerned and she backed off as there was clearly no convincing me otherwise. Then she confronted my mom and cautiously asked if maybe I had a different dad than my brothers because I was so insistent that my dad was named Ralph Poindexter. Naturally my dad got in trouble by my when she got home that day but rumor has it that it was a very proud/humorous moment in my dad's life.

Anyway, Dad, my point to all of this is that you're the best and I love ya! Here's hoping this is a wonderful year for you.