A couple of weeks back, on my birthday, Andrea and Timothy were super sick.  They laid on the couch and fell asleep just minutes after I got home.  It was quite sad.

They caught what Bethany had a few days before, so she was feeling fine.  I made my birthday lasagna and decided that it was time to take my daughter on a “date” — I took her over to the front door and told her to pick out her favorite shoes.  Then I took her upstairs and asked her to pick out her favorite bow.  She already had her favorite dress on and looked beautiful.  I told her to go into her room and shut the door and wait for daddy to knock on it.

A few minutes later, I knock lightly and she opens the door and gives me a big grin.  I hold out my hand to her and walk her slowly down the stairs, telling her how beautiful she looks.

“Thank you, daddy.” she says sweetly.

“Your welcome sweetheart.  Are you ready for lasagna?”

“Yesssss!!”

I walk her over to the table as we pass the rest of our family, sleeping on the couch.   I pull out her chair and let her climb in.  Then I push her up and set her cup in front of her.  I spot a mostly-empty bottle of Gatorade and grab it, showing it to her like a fine wine.

In my best “French Waiter” accent, I explain, “This is a lovely bottle of gaaatoraaad.  It is two weeks old and has a sweet, yet, tangy flavor.   Can I interest you in a bottle, madam?”

“Yes, please!”  Dang, she’s cute–and plays right along with daddy’s weirdness.

We sit down and have a nice meal.  She is sweet and she likes the lasagna.  We watch some TV, say hello to our waking family, and head off to bed.

As we head up the stairs, she says, unprompted, “I love you, daddy.”

Best.  Birthday.  Present.  Ever.

From the site:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.