Happy Birthday Dad. Unfortunately I can’t be home celebrating with you and mom this year, but I’ll see you this weekend.
Some of our best memories have come since I’ve gone to college. I’ve been able to come home and coach wrestling with you, coach football over the pandemic, and of course watch a lot of college football together.
I’ve really been blessed to have you coach me through youth soccer and youth football since I started playing. You’ve been a huge part of my life and it really started with sports and because of sports, you’ve become my best friend.
Most kids don’t get the chance to have their dad coach them at all, but you always stepped up to the plate and took every opportunity to be with me.
I remember when the high schools combined and you were offered a job to coach, you asked me first if I’d be okay with you coaching and maybe at the time I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I look back and think that having you on the sideline and in my corner was the best thing ever.
If you weren’t in my life, I would have never decided to wrestle. Because of you, I had the confidence to try new sports and find things that I loved to do.
While you may not have been my official wrestling coach until my senior year, you were always my favorite coach. Having you in a corner of the mat to look too when I was down in a match was the most reassuring thing I could ever have.
Sometimes I’d get frustrated with you during sports, but deep down I knew you had my best interest in mind, and I really appreciate that.
In the college recruiting process, you and mom did the best thing you could have ever done and you let me make my own decision while also being a voice of reason.
I can remember sitting in Whole Foods with you on February 12th of 2019, a day after I committed and you helped me write out my caption to post on social media. It’s stupid, little stuff like that that I really appreciate and cherish.
One of my all time favorite memories with you was when we went to the Chris Webby Black Friday show in 2019. I wanted more than anything to see Spose live and when I bought the tickets, you said you’d go. I was thrilled about it.
When we got to Toads Place, you stuck out like a soar thumb in the crowd and looked like a nark while people passed blunts right past you. I had a blast and was happy that you wanted to be a part of something that I took so much joy in.
I love you dad. Happy Birthday.