Ode to Steve

Today, as some of you may or may not know, is my father's 50th birthday. Unfortunately, I find myself a considerable distance away from him, unable to properly shower him with love and gifts. So sitting here, pondering my dilemma I had what I believe to be a stroke of genius. As a gift I shall dedicate an entire post to the "showering of love" of my dad, Steven Allen Ramp. Here it goes:

My father was born on August 29th, 1958 to Hank and Judy Ramp. (To be honest I don't know every detail of my dad's childhood, so I'm gonna skip to the part where I'm alive and could enjoy his presence...:)

I have been blessed to be able to spend 18 wonderful years with my father and look forward to countless more. He's always been there for me for whatever I need. He is a provider, not simply financially, but with every other aspect as well. If I need to talk or advice, he's always willing to listen. "Mr. Fix-It" as we call him, is perfectly suited to his personality. Not only is he ridiculously talented at making household appliances work (especially the silverware drawer that was the most annoying thing in the world to rip open), but any problem I've ever seemed to have with any type of authority figure, he's taken care of with ease. He just has a way of getting his way, and when he's on your side, it's truly amazing the progress your team makes.

My dad was there to help me shoot my first (and only) deer. He was also on board, standing beside me, coaching when I landed a 46 lb. king salmon. If you are ever looking for how to cook the best tasting king salmon in the world, talk to my dad about talking some private lessons. I know few other people who could get so excited telling me about their day at work (granted he does go look at amazing wildlife, but still...). Other skills include the aptitude to play Solitaire for extraordinarily long extended periods of time.

My dad has taught me basically everything I know about responsibility and all accomplishments thus far in my life are due to the time and love he's given me. I'll never be able to repay everything he's given me and my writing could never due him justice. However, I hope my feeble attempt at displaying his splendor on this most important day has at least brought a smile to his face.

I love you Dad! Happy 50th! Here's to another 50 years of happiness!