My dad is 60!

TOP 60 Reasons why I am glad to be Bob Spooner’s Daughter

1. He built his own slip and slide (and let us use it).


2. He organized neighborhood flashlight tag games.


3. He built a swing set with a swing for each kid.


4. He does triathlons and we cheer him on, sometimes even do races with him.


5. He took us on random Sunday drives with picnics.


6. He likes the pop ‘n’ fresh.


7. He paid a guy at Perkins in Grand Forks, ND to deliver a cheesecake to my dorm for my 19^th birthday.


8. He puts his wife and kids first.


9. He delivered a #2 extra value meal for to my high school for my birthday.


10. I thought he was so cool, and that if he chaperoned my 7^th grade dance I’d be cool because we’re related.


11. For my 20^th birthday he and my mom drove 5 hours to Grand Forks, ND with NO HEAT in the car (my birthday is in December!!) to spend a few hours with me.


12. He always does romantic things for my mom.


13. In 2007 he called me at work because he heard a sad story on the radio, about a girl who my age, just to tell me what a good daughter I am.


14. He encouraged me to run. And ran my first 5k with me.


15. He is proud of me.


16. He encouraged me to do triathlons.


17. During my first triathlon, after he finished (long before me) he ran back to find me and finished my run with me.


18. He convinced me to run a half-marathon.


19. And then ran the half-marathon nice and slow with me.


20. He always volunteers to help my mom out with the ballet company.


21. He taught me how to tease.


22. The time he gave us a puppy was an amazing memory. We were cleaning the house all day; because we were told he was bringing us presents. When he got home from work they sat us at the kitchen table and passed out gifts to each of us. They were each wrapped in dog wrapping paper. We ripped open the presents and found a leash, collar, bone, dishes, and a toy. "We are getting a dog!" We screamed. "No." He replied and paused a few minutes. "You’ve got a dog!" And then went out to his car and brought in a tiny, sleepy, buff cocker spaniel puppy.


23. He went to all of Dustin’s football games.


24. He followed Mikey across the country during his last year of drum corps.


25. When we were young, he and my mom would make wonderful vacations out of watching him do triathlons.


26. When we would drive thru McDonald’s and discover when we got home that they did not pack sweet and sour sauce, he would drive back and get us some.


27. He brought us to Deadwood, SD in 1994. Actually, all over South Dakota. But Deadwood was most memorable.


28. And then horrified us by telling us he wants to be buried in a pine box like Wild Bill.


29. He shovels snow in his shorts.


30. One year on Valentine’s Day, when we were all working in the Anoka area, he drove around to our work and dropped off Valentine treats!


31. He and my mom loved us enough to send us to Catholic elementary school.


32. He makes delicious SPOONER BURGERS (even though as a vegetarian, I can no longer eat them.)


33. He catches shoplifters; even when on vacation.


34. He is kind.


35. He has a strong faith.


36. He is so helpful! He has helped me move a billion times.


37. And he has painted the house a million times. And the living rooms of each of his daughters.


38. In 1999 when we went to a soccer tournament in Iowa we ate a lot of McDonald’s. It was a time when they were playing Monopoly. Dustin became convinced that we had a winning piece after lunch and we tried to find the piece from the day before. It turned out it had gotten tossed. We all became wrapped up in the idea that we had the Boardwalk or Park Place matching pieces, so he jumped in the hotel dumpster to find it. So sweet! He didn’t find it.


39. He is patient.


40. He is definitely the BEST DAD EVER!


41. He built us a really cool toy box when we were kids.


42. He is adventurous.


43. My siblings had a first grade teacher named Mrs. Round. Mrs. Round would send home a bear with each of the kids and they would write a story about what the bear did for the weekend. Dad made it extra special because the bear always came back different than it left. One year he shrunk, one year he grew huge, the next year he got married, and the last year they had babies! He is so creative and fun.


44. He is wonderful.


45. He is generous.


46. He is an awesome pop-up.


47. He placed a bet with my third grade class about how much my baby brother would weigh when he was born.


48. In college he sent me a care package and wrote a note "Dear Coley" from then on all my college friends, roommates and professors called me Coley.


49. Our third grade teacher was a huge fan of the Cubs and when they were playing the Twins (or going the playoffs??) He snuck into her classroom after hours and hung every teddy bear he could find in our house upside from the ceiling.


50. When he got transferred for work in 1999 and had to uproot our family from Lakeville, he made sure that every kid had their own room and that there was a bathroom in the basement.


51. He is thoughtful.


52. He likes hanging out with my grandpa and watching games.


53. He makes the best pancakes.


54. On his days off he would ride bikes with us to school and pick us up afterwards.


55. He let us "camp" in the backyard when we were little and sleep in the tower.


56. He is funny.


57. When I was in elementary school he was riding his bike by school while we were outdoors for gym class. We were playing baseball, I was hiding behind a telephone pole and my teacher waved down my dad and was like "Mr. Spooner. Do you know what your daughter was doing?!?" I am pretty sure he just laughed.


58. He is always happy.


59. After Dustin was born, he picked up my mom and Dustin from the hospital in a limo and let us ride along.


60. He beat cancer.

I love you dad! Happy 60^th Birthday!!!! Love, Coley