Happy Birthday Papa Jack

Happy 80th Birthday to this cute man...

I think it is only appropriate that I pay tribute to my awesome grandpa. Seriously, this man is a STUD. I don't think you could ever get a better grandfather than this man right here. I don't even know where to begin except for just listing off reasons why he is so great...

• He is a total gentleman! I really admire the relationship he has with my cute grandma. He has filled up her car with gas every single time so she wouldn't have to do it (seriously, she has never filled her car up with gas)! He just takes care of her the way a man should take care of his woman. They are totally old-fashioned and I think it is adorable. Even the way he looks at her, you can tell he is just crazy about her. I truly admire their relationship.
• He is smart. He has been successful in his businesses. He is always reading the paper and is very in touch with the economy. He doesn't make stupid decisions. And once he retired, he got so bored that he had to find hobbies to keep him busy and sane :) He is just a very smart man and a great worker.
• He is very generous. He is always giving to those he loves and it is always much appreciated.
• He is extremely friendly. My grandpa has SO many friends. Every one of my mom's friends, my friends, and my siblings friends who have met him just LOVE him. He has his church friends, his walking trail friends, his donut shop friends, the friends he made when he owned his gas stations, and many many more that I am probably not even aware of. He is just a very well-liked man.
• He is really funny. He is always telling jokes and laughing at them afterwards. He hurt his finger a long time ago and he would always tell us grandkids that a shark bit it off. He is always laughing and just has a really great, light-hearted spirit.
• He is very service oriented. He has been coming over to my mom's house EVERY TUESDAY for the past, I don't know, 15 years to do the laundry. He even used to do mine until I was really old enough to want to do my own laundry. And on the days that he did come, he would come pick me and my friends up at school and take us all out for Thrifty Ice Cream.
• He cares about his health. He had open heart surgery a long time ago and his doctor said that if he walks every day then he would never see him again. So, my grandpa took that advice and has been walking about 3 miles every day since.
• He loves me and my little family. I love that he is always telling me and Nate how great he thinks we are. It makes us feel so good and so loved. He LOVES our little Lyla. I asked them to babysit for a night when I was down visiting in California and when I came to pick her up, he was laying on the floor playing with her... and he's 80! He is always picking her up when she crawls in his direction and she just eats it all up. Lyla loves her Papa Jack.
• Him, his house, everything. He graciously has my mom and Rik (and I used to go all the time too) over for dinner every Sunday and when we're having steak, he is always the man behind the grill. We always have the big holiday's at their home. Every Easter, my grandpa would hide TONS of egg's in his backyard and every year we would not be able to find a couple of them and he wouldn't remember where they were either. After that, he started handing over that responsibility to my brother's :) Seriously, I have SO many memories in that house. Particularly when I would spend the night at their house and he would come in my room in the morning and shout "RISE AND SHINE!"... something I HATED at the time but love the memory of it. He also used to take me and my cousins to the zoo all the time so we could ride the big elephant there.

There is SO much more that I could write about my Papa Jack. I am sure you all can tell just from what I wrote that this man is just great. For me, words cannot express just how much I love him. He has been there as a positive, and consistent influence my whole life and I really do think the world of him. I am blessed that he is my grandfather. I am grateful that Nate loves him just as much as I do, even though he has only known him for a few years. Happy 80th Birthday Papa Jack... WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!