My little girl

Mike & Sara at 10000 Birds had a baby girl the other day and named her Ivy Arehart Bergin. My baby girl Cassandra Edna Dorsey graduated from Bartlett High School tonight. His daughter came into the world and mine is starting out in the world.

I know how proud you are Mike because I've been there. I still am actually. When she was a toddler we called her Sassy Cassie. Now it's Cassie or Cas. I call her my favorite girl or favorite daughter. I know, she's my only daughter. But she is my favorite girl and no one can take that away from me. I like the young woman she's grown up to be. She's not perfect and lord knows I'm not either. But she'll always be the sparkle in my eye.

Mike, you'll find yourself doing just about anything for your daughter. Her mother and I divorced when she was young. She would spend weekends at my house with her brothers. After returning her to her mom's house I would get calls like "I forgot my blankie" when I got home. That was before cell phone days, so you were all the way home before you got the call. During the middle of the night and in freezing temperatures, I'd turn around and take her blankie (Strawberry Shortcake) back to her.

Or the time she had to have her ear operated on. When they rolled her out into the recovery room, both her and Minnie Mouse had their left ears bandaged up. Or those tea parties. You have to sit through them Mike. It's the hardest thing to do as a guy or dad, but you'll remember it forever. You'll remember taking the training wheels off of her pink Barbie bike. She was such a tomboy, I described her as Evil Knievil on a Barbie bike.

Now a days I get calls like "I'm hungry. Let's go to lunch". My reply usually is "Where we going to go?" We like shopping together, riding bikes together, going to hockey games together. She helps me out with different things with Bird TLC. She's a lot of fun. Your going to enjoy it Mike.

She's going to go to UAA, University of Alaska, Anchorage, in the fall. Journalism or cosmo something or another. Get that sheep skin kiddo.

I hope your ready Mike. My little girl isn't so little anymore. Actually she's taller than me now. But you going to enjoy it. Welcome to the world Ivy.

Cassie, congratulations! I'm very proud of you and always have been.

Love you,

Dad