Happy Birthday, PaPa

He was known by many names...Pookie (like cookie with a "p" - this is what MiMi called him), Squirt, Daddy, Dave...but I called him PaPa, and today, he would have been 82. Happy Birthday, PaPa.We think about you every day and your love lives on in us all.

with his family: Uncle Sammy, Uncle Lloyd, PaPa, Aunt Edith, Grandm & Grandpa (left to right, back to front)

he looks like a Beach Boy here

in Rome, as a MP in the Army

he and MiMi's weddinghe and Mom
Mom, Daddy, MiMi and PaPa - Mom & Daddy's rehearsal dinner

me & PaPa

it looks like I'm scared out of my skin here - but it was my 4th birthday

gettin' a little snuggle

PaPa and Uncle Sammy fishin'

We celebrated birthdays with Mimi and PaPa - always.

Come on in - the whiskey's fine!

me with Mimi and PaPa

Mimi and PaPa on their 50th wedding anniversary

Patrick and PaPa

me & Pat with Mimi and PaPa

me & Pat with PaPa and his parents

me & Pat with Mimi and PaPa

PaPa with Pat and his tric

PaPa cutting Pat's hair

me, Mom and Pat with PaPa and his folks

PaPa at his parents' gravesite

Pat with Mimi and PaPa

Aunt Francie, Papa and Mom with me at my Masters graduation

PaPa with Gracie

Daddy, Mom, Jack, Gracie and PaPa - we went to Topwater Grill in San Leon to celebrate our anniversaries (Mom & Dad, Sept. 6 and Jack & I, August 31) - about two weeks later, Hurricane Ike changed the scenery and we're still waiting on Topwater to rebuild...

just this past Thanksgiving

"There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go" - Jean Paul Richter

We love you, PaPa.