Thursday, May 24, 2012

As My Dad Turns 72...

...it seems like a good time to take a stroll down Memory Lane.  I can do this with these old pictures, thanks to my dad who painstakingly spent hours this past winter scanning old slides and photographs into the computer to distribute them to my siblings and I.  That was a project I had wanted to do ever since we moved back from Israel.  Lo and behold, I never got around to it.  Thankfully, my dad did.  :)

Here is a look at this incredible man through the years - the man I'm so grateful to have as my father.

He and I when I was a newborn...

The family - Nov. 28, 1976 - I was almost 8 months old

The family - about 1979

The family - about 1980 

The family at my grandparents' house in Dayton - June 14, 1980

The family inside my grandparents' house - probably 1980

The family - December 1980

With extended family on my dad's side - in the Dayton Church of the Brethren

Eating a meal in the Bopp's beach house in Buxton, NC - our FAVORITE vacation spot, by far

Dad praying for me at my baptism - 1983

The family on my birthday - April 1, 1984


The family - November 21, 1984 - notice my drastically shorter hair?  somewhere between April 1 and November 21, my sister Donna decided that I should have short hair; so one day while my parents were gone, she cut off my braids - at the time, I didn't think much of it; but now as a mother, I CANNOT IMAGINE how my parents must have felt!!!  :)

With extended family on my mom's side - at my grandparents' farm in Pennsylvania - 1986

With my grandparents - 1986

With my Grandma Huffman at my Granddad's retirement reception (he was a well-loved, old-fashioned country doctor...hmmmm, reminds me of someone else I know!) ;-)  - January 11, 1987

A small group Bible study my parents were part of - summer 1988 - Dad is the tall one in the middle of the back row

My high school graduation - June 1993

Visiting friends in Florida - August 1993

With those Florida friends - August 1993

As I look back through these pictures and journey in memories through the years, I'm reminded of what a good life my dad has helped to provide for me.  And I'm grateful - so very grateful.

Happy birthday, Dad!  72 looks good on you!!!  :)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to your Dad! I loved seeing these pictures of you growing up! You look a lot like your mom!

Miriam said...

From these pictures, your dad has certainly always been a handsome fellow! This is a wonderful post.

Margie said...

I love these pictures! Davene, how old was your dad when you were born? As an older mom, I'm always doing the math.

Davene Grace said...

Margie - he was almost 36. I was born in April, and he turned 36 in May. :)