Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to the dad we adore. He rarely gets to go eat at the place of his choosing, because he is almost always outvoted 4-1. He always offers to trade one of us when we order something we don’t like. He lectures me on my tank being too low and we both wonder why he bothers because we both know I’ll be too low again next week (but sometimes he gasses it up for me). He goes to the garage to get the tools we need, whether it’s assembling a Valentine’s box or to pump up a basketball. He eventually gets to his home improvements, but it might take a few years, because he is so busy helping everyone else. (And because he refuses to pay someone else to do something he can do.)  His dream hunting trips are put on the backburner each year for the sports trips. He will sit through a weekend of dance, even though I know he has a hunting tag he wants to fill. He will never spend a dollar on his own clothes, because he spends it on his girls. (Unless you count Sitka or Kuiu, but he ends up letting me wear his hunting coats at the spring soccer games because I’m never prepared, and I secretly think they’re worth it.) He’s allergic to cats, but he doesn’t tell us ‘no’ when we come across a stray.  (He kinda says no, but then kinda changes his mind.) He is our biggest fan. He shows up for us, each and every time, regardless of the day he has had. He coaches our teams and sits at the concerts, clapping the loudest. We are so lucky to be loved by you.