Dear Dad

Dear Dad,
We celebrated Mom's birthday this weekend. We all took her to The OG...really James and Daniela did though. They pulled a fast one and James handed his card to the waiter before Eric and I could split it with them...before he even brought the bill really. After diner we came back to the house, after James and Daniela stopped to get a cake. They got two candles: a number "6" and a number "1". Mom switched them around, wishing she were a much younger 16! We just hung around the kitchen and talked and laughed. It felt good. Though prior to all this we sent flowers to school for her on Friday, which worked out to be the day before her actual birthday. I included your name on the card even though I wasn't sure if it was the right thing do or not. Eric said that I shouldn't because it might make her upset. In the end I thought it was important to include you and felt it was something that you wanted. (Secretly though, it may have been one of those things that I do because I feel guilty for doing things/moving on without you.) Though next to the flowers that Holly and Tony sent, ours look like pulled up weeds! The flowers they sent were really beautiful. Oh Dad, I'm really worried about my friend at work, and there's not much that I know to do to help her. She's so amazing on a personal level and as a co-worker. I know I've asked you quite often lately to help me out in some sort, but if I was ever able to get a favor pulled, now would be the time. If there's anything you can do to help her or look out for her...or help put her on whatever track or path she's supposed to travel (even if it doesn't fit into the cast I'd expect), I beg of you to act on it. It's really important to me. She's one of my friends that's helped me get through all that's gone on for me in the last few months...specifically one of the ones that really has no idea how much of an impact she's had on helping everything to fit into and make sense in my head.

I thought of you this morning...I took James to Junior's Diner...that diner that I would have loved to take you to for breakfast. And he said that it was like that Jack and Jane's place that you used to really love, just a little bigger. I knew you'd like it :-)

-Tiff