Pappy.

Do you know what this is?


It may look like a plain yellow legal pad to you. But anyone in my family knows that in the hands of my dad, it becomes magical.

My dad has probably used thousands of these during his lifetime--often for work or keeping track of daily tasks. But there is another, wondrous thing that he uses it for: planning. Anytime there's a holiday or trip coming up, you can find one of these bad boys filled with my dad's scrawling handwriting. Pages of lists, excursion ideas, sites, charts, timetables, possibly even diagrams designed to maximize the enjoyment of everyone involved. He loves coming up with great ideas that ensure everyone has fun. In my family, when you see the yellow pad, you know amazing things are about to happen.

Today I wish a happy birthday to my favorite travel agent (and career advisor, and trivia guru, and hug provider, and arch nemesis), knowing that any enjoyment he gets out of his celebrations today likely pales in comparison to the pleasure he is currently finding in finishing up the planning for our upcoming family vacation extravaganza.


It commences in just 3 days, and the excitement is palpable.