Happy Birthday Papi! I have the most amazing dad! When I look at him, I see a kind, loving and tender heart that will go out of his way to make life better for others. If it wasn’t for my dad, I would not be writing this blog today, as he was the one who had a dream to come to the United States of America and left all that was known and dear to him to bring us here and build a better life for his family. I will forever be grateful for all the risks that my parents took and all that they sacrificed to bring us here. Since I was a little girl, I always looked up to my dad and knew that with him nothing was scary or impossible; to me he was a brilliant man. Whether it was helping with math homework or with art projects, he was there to help and teach with a very patient heart. I remember like today, he spent endless hours teaching me and Oleg how to tell time and even though we got it wrong over and over, he never gave up. Watching him with my mom and the way he cares for her, even by small things like getting the door for her every time has taught me to see what it is like to be valued and loved. God chose him for us to be our dad and I praise him for that daily. I pray that God keeps him healthy and joyous and as energetic as he always is.
We celebrated at my parent’s house, by making a chebureki. We have not made these in a very long time and it seemed like a fun thing to make. They turned out absolutely delicious! But it would not be our family if we only served chebureki, there was a lot more food to go around. It was a day filled with celebration and love. Thank you precious Jesus for gifting us such a special papi!
