Dad's Retirement Party

I'm playing catch up on the blog, and I would be remiss not to document Dad's retirement!  After 32 years with EY, Dad retired at the end of September.  He really didn't want to make a huge deal out of it and was very reluctant to agree to have a party.  But he finally relented, and we had a  gathering of about seven couples at Dallas Country Club on September 5.  

 

Adam worked that day, but he was able to get about four hours off for the dinner, and I think it really meant a lot to Mom and Dad to have him there.  (And always to me!!)

We had cocktails, then dinner and then we settled in for a few toasts.  Each guy Dad worked with shared some of their funniest memories, and it was so cool to see how Dad has impacted all of their lives.  He's special to us, but he's important in their lives as well.

 

Dad with his friend, mentor and former boss, David.

 

Adam may have stolen the show that night with his toast.  Much was said about how we weren't sure exactly how to explain what Dad did all the time, and Adam referenced his weekly trips to New York.  Adam jokingly said that when he met my Dad, he had long hair and thought that he was in the mafia.  The whole room was rolling with laughter.  Troy and I also gave toasts, and while they were nice and thoughtful, nothing compared to Adam's!

Mom and Dad celebrated the beginning of retirement by taking a two-and-a-half week trip to the Northeast in October, and they had a grand time.  Miss Bella joined them, riding on several airplanes (tucked under the seat), and even happened upon a Sunday service where there was a "Blessing of the Animals."  :-)  Dad is in "vacation mode" about 90% of the time now, and let me tell you, it is SO FUN!

He will be teaching at the college-level starting in January, and we're all excited for him to start working on this dream that he's had for a long time.  I am grateful for parents who push themselves to go for their dreams and encourage us to go for ours.  We are blessed!