Dad's Birthday Visit

A couple of weeks before my birthday, my Dad called to ask me if I could take my birthday off from work, because he was coming to Texas to spend the weekend with me. I was really excited - Mom and Ben came out last year for Spring Break, but Dad hadn't visited since he helped me move back from Scotland. I picked him up from the airport after work on Friday and we had Babe's Chicken for dinner. I knew Dad would enjoy the home-style dining. 

While Dad was here, we played LOTS and LOTS of marbles! Seriously, we played during breakfast, lunch, and just to relax in the evening. It's an Isbell family tradition, you know... Dad also did lots of little handyman tasks around the apartment, like hanging pictures, fixing my rattly vent, hooking up a digital antenna so I can cancel my cable, and putting in hooks so I can hang lights on my balcony. Oh, and he replaced the fixture on my bedroom lamp because it had a short and actually started smoking while he was here! He's really handy to have around. :)

Our big project for the weekend was staining the custom scrapbook desk that Dad made for me a year ago at Christmas. We made several trips to Home Depot and Ace Hardware, and he taught me how to stain and use tung oil. It smelled the apartment up pretty bad for a little while, since it was too cold to work outside so we worked in my hallway. But it was worth it - the desk looks great, much more finished now that it's, well, finished.

On Saturday evening we went to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo - Dad had never been to a rodeo before! We spent a while checking out the animals and exhibits, then met up with Rachel, Stephanie, and Taryn for the rodeo. We had a great time, and I think Dad enjoyed his first rodeo. 

I was so thankful that Dad came to spend my birthday weekend with me. It was a special time together, and I was sad when he had to head home.