Dad and I always shared a love for football, and he would always tease me about my obsession with the Carolina Panthers. In 2019, he surprised me with a weekend trip to North Carolina to see the Panthers in action. He was not at all comfortable with crowds but he braved that day in the stadium just for me. He knew how happy it made me, and it was a day I'll never forget

In 2018, my Dad took me on a "surprise trip" to Mexico.  He had called my boss in advance to make sure I could get the time off, and called my husband to get my passport information......I had absolutely no idea.....and I cried when he gave me a card with a plane ticket in it.....

It was a beautiful trip with many fun memories.  He did everything in his power to make sure it was special. And, I'll always remember the sign on the door when we got to our room.  It was a "VIP" banner..... and of course, he did not hesitate to mention his "VIP" status many times throughout the trip.   He was, of course, a very important person!   I remember sitting with him one night we talked about everything from work, to my mom, about his grandson, Evan, and about my brother and sister.  We had not talked heart to heart like that for a long time... I don't know that I truly appreciated that when it was actually happening, but I do now.   I am thankful we were able to spend that time together.