Happy Birthday, Father-in-Law!

My favorite thing about Tom is his incredible love for his family. You can tell whenever he's sipping a "Banquet Beer" with his sons, or carrying a shopping bag for Terri, or treating Erin and I to dinner, that he's at his absolute happiest when he's with his family. In the picture above, the first ever taken of him and Finn, it reminds me of those first few hours in the hospital when he couldn't wait to meet the newest member of his family, and share that love for family with a whole new generation.
In all of the years I've known Tom (10 now!) I've seen more funny things happen than I can possibly count or have time to tell here! One constant in the Hanson household is laughter. But one thing comes to mind, and that's Tom's hilarious impression of an I'm-not-sure-what. When Terri wants him to get out of the kitchen, or he decides it's time to tease Erin, he does this odd puppy-dog posture to emulate their "behavior". It's SO odd, it just makes me laugh every time. Erin and I now do it all the time around the house when we're joking with each other, and it's something only Tom can really pull off. Below is my demonstration of the look! If you've seen it before, you'll know what I'm talking about! And if you've never seen it, I'm sorry that you have to look at the picture below...
The happiest I've ever seen Tom was on Erin and I's wedding day. He just looked like he couldn't have been happier to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle. The second happiest I've seen him was on the day I asked him for his blessing to marry Erin. He was surprised, then had that big beaming smile that I'll never forget...his heart was brimming, and even though I was (and still am) a liberal Democrat, he couldn't have been happier! I'll never forget how he swore up and down that he wouldn't tell Terri until Erin told her after I'd propose, and apparently he couldn't wait for 5 minutes after Terri came home from work that night...he was so excited!
Tom and I have had many memorable moments over the years - but one that stands out was on June 23rd, 2005. It was the week of the wedding, and Tom and I went to a local golf club to play 9 holes of morning golf to shake the nerves and get out of the house...and Erin's hair. We had a fun day of golf, on a lovely morning, before the biggest day of my life, and Tom and I just laughed, putted, chipped and lost a few golf balls here and there. We were both so relaxed, and it felt like he genuinely enjoyed spending time with me. You could tell that he knew how much I loved his daughter, and that made me feel even more excited about the days ahead.
Three words to sum Tom up? Family, hard work, and family. (Well, I guess that's 4 words. But you know what I'm saying!)
If Tom were an inanimate object there's no question that he would be a Miller Lite.
My final Birthday message for Tom - I love him! He works so hard, and it's all for his family. I admire his work ethic, his dedication, and his incredible love for his friends and family. And after working so hard, there's nothing quite like a good "eyelid inspection" on the couch! (See below).
Happy Birthday, Tom! I was there for your 50th, and I can't believe it's already been 10 years. We wish we could join you for the party. But we'll be there in spirit, and can't wait for our next family vacation - together, drinking some Millers and talking about Wake Forest sports!
Love,
Andy

If Finn Could Post

So Finn can't type yet, but if he could he'd probably write something along these lines:

Happy Birthday Ipa! I love you! I love when you eat my piggies (and you put my toes in your mouth). I loved it when you and Mimi took care of me when my parents were in Belize and you brought me to the zoo and fed me my first sweet potato fries. Yum! I liked going into a swimming pool for the first time ever with you and sitting with you you. I hope that I didn't make the water on your lap warm. Did you know that we have a name in common? What are the chances?

I love you Ipa! I love spending time with you and giving you hugs and kisses. Happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Here are some silly questions about my dad:

1. My favorite thing about my dad: his sense of humor, his warmth and genuine curiosity about people, that he's always been the President of his children's "fan clubs" or the guy in the corner of the fight saying "you can do it!" and "go get 'em' tiger(lily)."

2. The funniest thing I've seen my dad do: Once there was an eccentric living in our hometown of Madison, Connecticut nicknamed the Peaceman. He would dress all in black and walk up to passerbys, flash them the peace sign and shout "Woo Woo!" My dad saw Peaceman walking near his car window one evening at a stoplight. Dad flashed Peaceman the peace symbol and greeted him with a hearty "Woo Woo!"

Peaceman locked eyes with my dad, as if he'd met his soul mate and started to sprint after the car, yelling "Woo Woo! Woo Woo! Woo Woooooooooo!" I imagine that he sounded like a wounded cow.

3. The happiest I've ever seen my dad: anytime he's with his family, especially when he's been waiting for my mom, the love of his life to come home from work so that he can fix her dinner. He always looks so relieved and happy to see her.



4. The most memorable moment I've had with my dad: my dad and I danced to the song, "Call me Al" by Paul Simon at my wedding. He has got some fantastic moves and can really play the air trumpet! Also, earlier in the day, it was wonderful to have him walk me down the aisle. He tried to get me to relax by making me laugh, he pointed to some of the guests' elaborate hats and asked me if they'd look good on him.

The biggest overall most memorable moment with my dad was introducing him to Finn Thomas Baker. Dad said, "I'm so proud of you." In delivering my baby, I had done something that billions of women had done across history and he still made me feel like bringing Finn into the world was a singular and extraordinary achievement.

5. List three nouns, adjectives, or verbs that describe your dad: big-hearted, focused, silly

6. If your dad was an inanimate object, what would it be? A well manicured lawn, a business card, or a dish cloth used to clean up the kitchen floor by foot.

7. If you could give your dad a nickname what would it be? Probably Senator Wellstone after the late-great liberal activist. Comrade Hanson, Obama Junior, Ted Kennedy 2.0...only kidding.

8. What's your first memory of your dad? This is a bit harder because he's been there my whole life, so it's all a fuzzy blur. But I remember when he'd come home from work when I was bout 4 or 5, he'd look so handsome in his suit and power tie! He'd scoop me up into his arms and do a silly dance. He smelled great: a combination of Binaca, Chapstick, and cologne. I loved when he walked through the door, he'd make my little day.

9: Do you have a poem or song to share with your dad? My name is Zoom and I live on the Moon and I came to Earth just to sing you this tune: Hey dad, It's your 60th birthday, Today!!!

10. Any other message to share? I love you, dad, Happy birthday!!!