Sunday, November 09, 2008

A Tower of Cupcakes Celebrating 80 Years

We celebrated my Dad’s 80th birthday this weekend with family, friends and a tower of cupcakes. Everyone pitched in to choreograph the surprise, and of course, I was on cake duty. Cupcakes seem the appropriate chose for someone who is 80 years young, and we kind of liked the Halloween palette since Dad first arrived in this world on October 31, 1928.

And, what a different world it must have been then. Mickey Mouse first appeared in the animated film short, “Steamboat Willie,” and one of my favorite books, “The House at Pooh Corner,” was published in England. Calvin Coolidge was the United States President and Amelia Earhart was the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the Atlantic. My, have times changed.


Here’s a toast I wrote in honor of Dad for his 70th birthday celebration. It seems just as appropriate today:

Dad,

We are here today to honor your special qualities that have had such an influence on all our lives:

Your thoughtful authority,

Your patience,

Your willingness to help us in any situation,

Your love of nature, the National Parks and “the great outdoors,”

Your sense of responsibility and your work ethic that brought so many good things to our family,

Your ability to make the best Tom Collins and grilled flank steak on the planet,

Your skill with a camera (even though you’ve got hundreds of slides that still need to be catalogued),

Your quiet, abiding faith,

And the unconditional love you’ve given us all.

Happy 80th Birthday, Dad!

©2008 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved

11 comments:

  1. And a wonderful time was had by all, I'm sure. Please pass a cupcake:)

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  2. What a lovely post! My dad turned 80 in 2005, and he was also in the navy. When I was a little girl I had a coat my mother made from his navy dress blues.

    LOVE the tower of cupcakes too!

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  3. Anonymous9:51 PM

    What a beautiful toast, and great cupcakes. I might just hire your family for my 80th birthday -- you definitely seem to do it right!

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  4. A toast as sweet as the cupcakes! Sweet wishes for what the future still holds for him!

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  5. Anonymous5:12 AM

    Happy Birthday TW's dad!! Your cake(s) look(s) amazing!!
    BTW, I've had the (mis)fortune of being meme'd and now I've passed it on to you!!! It wasn't my fault though, you'll see!
    http://cocoakisses.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/our-first-meme/

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  6. Anonymous1:55 PM

    A very Happy Birthday to Dad, indeed!
    The love for your Dad shines through this post. Love the cupcake idea, TW :)

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  7. What a beautiful tribute to your Dad! Looks like a great time!

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  8. I love that tower of cupcakes. Must have been fun to bake these.

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  9. Anonymous9:23 PM

    What a great tribute to your dad! Great tower of cupcakes, T.W.!

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  10. Anonymous7:50 PM

    Sometimes as parents we aren't entirely sure what mark we've made on the world...if any. But, tributes like these remind us that our contribution is a world of loving, respectful and thoughtful children who love their father enough to raise a cupcake with such poignant words. A lucky, lovely, loving family that reminds us the world is still a good place to be.
    Happy Birthday Sir...you should be very very proud.

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  11. It sounds like both you and your Dad are very lucky to have one another. And those cupcakes are adorable!

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