60!

Montana, February 2011

Someone super, super special turned the big six-oh today! My beloved, awesome, amazing papai. I got to celebrate in person with him and all the fam this weekend on our vacation in MI. But I wanted to tell the blogosphere what an incredible man is celebrated today! So I came up with a list of sixty things about or memories of my dad which I love. You ready? Here goes…

1. He’s a godly man
2. The personalities he made up when we were little
3. Making my dresses compete to be worn on Sunday morning
4. Writing Bible studies for us for homeschool
5. His sense of humor
6. Speaking Portuguese together
7. His influence and care of the young men in Brasil
8. How he’s always taken me seriously
9. Talking about “Booland” with me when I was little
10. Getting to see how many lives he’s changed
11. Taking him to the steak restaurant for his birthday two years ago
12. Watching the sunset on our last night in Brasil 2007
13. His wisdom
14. “Family Devotions” on Sunday nights
15. Torn-paper art 🙂
16. He picked out my alligator-skin stilletoes
17. Our shared love of Simon & Garfunkel and Peter, Paul, & Mary
18. His commitment to mission
19. He’s an academic
20. He’s a huge encouragment to me
21. He’s always willing to learn
22. His love for God over us
23. How he loves to serve and take care
24. His love for his family
25. His understanding and acceptance of other people
26. His hands-down AWESOME preachin’ skillz!
27. His integrity
28. That he irons and does laundry
29. His earnestness in following God’s call, wherever it takes him
30. Watching him as a grandpa
31. He’s a cancer survivor
32. He always knows the right thing to say
33. He has been a runner as long as I can remember
34. He knows everything! Seriously… he can talk intelligently on almost every subject
35. I know I can call him with anything
36. He is thoughtful
37. He is a caring husband
38. He still lets me sit on his lap 🙂
39. He taught me to love the church
40. How he used to make “pictures” when he made us lunch when mom was gone
41. He is a brilliant leader
42. He’s not embarassed to show emotion
43. He loves to travel and experience new things
44. He is good with all ages and types of people
45. He loves to sing
46. He’s always encouraged me to do what I love
47. He is a friend to so many people
48. He’s happy watching football or reading about history
49. He is such a good writer
50. How he picked out my favorite Beanie Baby and was careful to get the cutest face (I was 12)
51. He does things the right way, even if it’s inconvenient or hard
52. He can confront tough issues, but does so with grace
53. He’s pretty good looking and passed that on to me! 😀
54. He is a good decision-maker
55. He makes his unconditional love for me clear
56. He is an amazing listener
57. He’s shown me what I should look for in my future husband
58. He’s affectionate, both in word and deed
59. He is humble
60. He is so patient!

And there you have it. I challenge anyone who says he or she has the best dad in the world. It’s clear I do!

Te amo demais, meu papai querido! BEIJOS!

xoxo
Alanna

3… 2… 1…

It’s birthday week! Two days! *throws confetti* Yes, Wednesday is my 26th birthday – I love birthdays and believe in Birthday Week, versus just a day of celebration. Today I’ve decided to put together a little birthday wishlist. I love to see other bloggers’ collections of pretty finds, so I figured my birthday is an excellent opportunity to create my own. So here goes, in no particular order (pictures are links to the items)…

Is this poster from The Literary Gift Company not the coolest? It’s got the names of famous authors all arranged where they wrote and lived. There’s one for the UK, too. And once I move into my own apartment, I’ll need a lot more art for the walls.

Yep… I want a Kitchenaid Mixer. I used the image of the brushed nickel one because ultimately I think it would be best to get something to match a lot of different colors (still don’t know what colors I’ll use in my kitchen). But isn’t this one divine?

My sister had a set of the Flower Fairies books – little hardcovers. I would love the whole collection!

I think this ring is incredible. It’s so gorgeous! I love sort of woodsy/elven jewelry.

I love her voice! She seems so sweet, too. I hope her innocence is protected.

If you have not seen the documentary Born Into Brothels, YOU MUST. It is the story of how the Kids with Cameras organization was founded. It’s so beautiful but bittersweet. This is a book containing the kids’ photographs.

Last, but not least… an Instax camera! I love seeing other bloggers’ post their Instax photos and it seems like so much fun!

Well… I really could go on, but at the risk of seeming greedy and materialistic, I’ll stop. Oh… if you need my mailing info to send any or all presents, just email me: charlieandlu at gmail dot com. 😀

xoxo,
Alanna