A running joke in our family was my father’s love for Outback Steakhouse. No matter the occasion, DaddyTDJ would suggest Outback.  This tended to work out well because once my husband, MrTDJ, joined our family, the 2 shared an affinity for Outback.  Lucky us!  It wasn’t my favorite place, so I often found ways to convince them both that some other restaurant would be a better choice for a number of reasons (distance, wait time, etc). But for birthdays? Nope!  LOL!  Neither could be talked out of a visit to Outback. Last year, for DaddyTDJ’s birthday, he told me that he just couldn’t look at it the same since the death of MrTDJ.  **sigh**  And, he was very aware of how much the 9th of each month affected me.  So, for his 62nd birthday, we headed to Longhorn Steakhouse.  I only managed to get one picture of LittleTDJ and his grandfather.

Since LittleTDJ is a budding comedian just like his father and grandfather, we had a great afternoon! Less than a month later, we would receive my father’s diagnosis. And 3 short months later, he left this earth. I haven’t been able to write alot about my dad since his death.  At some point I will, but it hasn’t come yet.  LittleTDJ? He talks about his granddaddy all the time and although it’s hard, that makes me smile.  And through at all, my amazing son’s haunting words bring a small measure of wonder and comfort:

Not a single day goes by that I don’t think of you. We went to Longhorn tonight for dinner but it will never be the same without you.  Happy 63rd birthday Daddy!