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