Last week there were two special birthdays in our family. My dad turned 60 on Saturday. Unfortunately we couldn’t be there to celebrate with him because we live kinda far away. So we make do with phone calls, Skype dates, and celebrating when we’re all together, even if it’s a completely different time of year.

It’s good to have birthdays, I think. It’s a good reminder to appreciate wonderful individuals. We can appreciate them any day, all year round. We should. We are, aren’t we?! But, on someone’s birthday, we can be reminded of how extra special they are, and thank God that they were born.

I am very thankful for my Dad. He is one of the few people that I know who has always loved his work. So many people complain about their jobs. Not my Dad. He really likes what he does and he’s good at it. What a blessing!

I love seeing the ways I’m similar to my dad, and the ways that I’m different. Dad was the person who inspired me to want to try my hand at photography as a kid. My brothers and I all enjoy it and we get that from him. Dad also loves nature – he told me when we talked on his birthday that he’d spent most of the day outside. He was very pleased about that. We differ a little bit there. I mean, being outside is great, buuuut, I’m not as nature-inclined as he is. I enjoy it, but from a little more of an observer/distance way. Except when it comes to gardening. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty then (but the bugs can stay away – they are not welcome!).

My dad is levelheaded, wise, patient, and kind. He’s silly and can giggle with the best of them too. He is a great dad and I’m thankful for him.

The second birthday that we celebrated was our dog, Brando’s 5th birthday. Yes, we celebrate our dog’s birthday. We buy him bones and toys, bake him dog cookies and take him for a walk. Not too unlike any other day, except that we say the word birthday a lot. 🙂 I think that he thinks it’s special. I could be wrong since he doesn’t speak english.

He and I don’t have as much in common as say my Dad and I do. Although we do both like to walk and eat, so… If he were permitted to, Brando would be eating the same foods that we do at the same time. Since that doesn’t happen very often, he just waits until he hears the sounds of us finishing up our food and begs with his eyes to please clean the plate. He usually gets to since our dishwasher requires a pre-rinse anyways. 🙂

On birthday morning, since we hadn’t walked to the pet store to get him his bone and toy, I made some cookies. I know that he doesn’t know when his birthday begins and ends, but I do and I care. What he cared about was cleaning the batter bowl so carefully. I think he spent about 5 minutes on it. The cookies are really simple and make a cute little treat. I used Gluten Free flour, because we’re trying to avoid gluten in the dog’s diet (hoping it might help with allergy skin), and because I had some, so why not use it. These would also be good human cookies. Just add some maple syrup, honey, or sugar, maybe some chocolate chips or raisins, and they might be good. Might be. They’re dog tested, not people tested. 🙂 Oh and if you add stuff, especially chocolate, don’t give ’em to your dog. You know this. But just in case…

Happy birthday Dad! Happy birthday Brando. One special human, one special dog.

Brando’s Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

Last modified on 2013-04-01 20:32:48 GMT. 0 comments. Top.