Father's Day: My Daddy

Well, Father's Day is right around the corner!  I love this holiday because I get to celebrate the amazing Dad I have!  I am the luckiest girl in the whole world to have the Daddy that I was blessed to be given to!  My Dad is a wonderful man!  He has shown me the way a man should love both his wife and his family.  He's smart, funny, hardworking, loving, encouraging, a blast to be around and the greatest example of what makes a man!

Dad deep in thought!  He's a very brilliant guy!

Always having fun no matter what there is (or isn't) to do!

Fun to hang around with Dad!

I remember growing up watching my parents love on eachother with handholding, flirting, kissing, etc and being completely DISGUSTED with it!  Especially the older I got and the more embarassing it was in front of my friends.  It was clear that they were completely in love, and that part was great!  They got a kick out of myself and my siblings "ewwww" ing and proclaiming how "grosssss" they were.  And it didn't stop them.  Today, I am soooo glad that I witnessed that with them my whole life.  Dad was always making an effort to make Mom feel special and loved.  He treated/treats her amazing!  It set a very very high standard for what I was looking for in a partner.  Someone who stood by my side, encouraged me, loved me deeply, put me first, and never forgot the little things were the most important.  He showed me how a man should love a woman.

Dad and Mom at their highschool prom

Loving on Mom (and being silly) this Christmas

In fact, one of my favorite memories with Dad was when I turned 16 and he took me on my very first date.  I wasn't allowed to go on dates before 16, and when I did go on one with Dad, he demonstrated how lovely I should be treated.  He was a gentleman.  He knocked on the door and handed me a flower and we went off to the car for our date, after of course telling Mom what time he'd have me home by.  We arrived at downtown Fort Worth for dinner.  We had a blast talking together and thoroughly enjoyed the funky restaurant we ate at.  He opened doors, paid for dinner, and gave me his full attention.  He took me on a horse and carriage ride through the lit up city after dinner too.  Which, ironically, Zach proposed to me in NYC on a horse and carriage ride.  We hung around Ft. Worth for a bit after that enjoying the rest of our date.  I knew then that I would not settle for less than a gentleman because I knew they existed!  I thank Dad for the man I married because I didn't settle, I waited to find the man that would love me the way Dad loves Mom.  And isn't it ironic that they thought the same way about being romantic (or showing what romantic looks like) with a sweet, tender horse and carriage ride?  I'd say I married a man like my Daddy, which I think is something I couldn't ask for more!

The image every girl loves to see:  Her Daddy and Hubby having a blast together! 
Thanks Dad for loving my Husband!

Dad also showed me how to love a child.  He was always a very involved, loving father.  He had to work a lot when I was younger, but I don't remember that being the overwhelming memory.  I more so remember learning to ride a bike with him running after me and being there to pick me up when I crashed into the parked car, I remember him tucking me into bed and telling me he loved me, I've had lots of snuggle time with him, I remember walks with him where we just talked about what was going on in life-we even did this when I was in high school, I remember family road trips with Dad calculating how long it would take at the current speed we were driving and figuring how to get there fastest without stopping-which meant timing lights.  He got a kick out of doing that and it always made me laugh.  He helped me with homework, especially stinky math homework.  I give him a TON of credit for that because I was awful at it and it was like talking to a brick wall when trying to teach me, but somehow he stayed very patient and attempted new ways to teach me.
He is also very wise and reliable.  I turn to him with a hundred questions.  "Dad, what do I do when my car broke down AGAIN for the 20th time in college?"  "Dad, how would you budget ______?"  "Dad, my computer says something odd, what should I do?" etc. etc. etc.  Yes, these might be just the mundane questions, but no matter what pickle I got myself into, Dad would always fix it.  He is a genius with cars, computers, etc.   I would in my I-know-nothing-about-cars-or-computers state, call him and vaguely describe whatever was going on and he would either tell me how to fix it or come himself to help me.  He is very selfless and giving.  He is there to help at any point in time for any reason.  I always know I can turn to my Dad.

Something special about him was he was great at getting the point across when we did something wrong.  I felt deep sorrow when I made a bad choice and got the talking to because I hated letting him down.  Sometimes that ended in me crying after being sent to my room.  But what was special was that in the next 5 minutes, Dad would always come to my room, hug me, and tell me how he loved me.  He hated seeing me cry, but was strong enough to let the lesson sink in before comforting me.  I felt so loved when he would come up, even when I would still act angry at him.  And it never failed, he always came.

Special Daddy hugs

Still getting Daddy hugs

My wedding day was something I always looked forward to experiencing with my Daddy.  It was a very special day and I dreamed of walking down the aisle with my Dad and later getting that special Daddy/daughter dance.  It was one of those moments walking down the aisle where I felt overwhelming love for the man that has been the biggest, most important man in my life taking me to the other man who would be the other most important man in my life.  It was tender.  I swear Daddy had a tear, though he says the photographer just caught him scratching his eye.  Whether that was the case or not, I like to tease him and believe that he had a moment where he was so touched he shed a tear.  :)  You tell me....

Dad and I love to use being together as a great excuse for eating sweets! :)  We both have a sweet tooth and indulge it when we are together.  When I go to meet him at work for lunch, we use that as an opportunity to try the restaurants most delicious, calorie packed, chocolatey-ist desert we can find!!  When I spend the night there when Zach is gone, we have bowls of ice cream together.  Come to think of it, I should plan way more slumber parties to get way more ice cream! ;)  We loved watching 24, the show together so we often scarfed our desert down while watching the drama packed show. 
My Dad loves Carter!!  He is so sweet with him.  His ultimate goal is to get a smile out of him so he plays goofy faces with him, lets him hold his cold beers--don't worry that's as far as it goes, bounces him, talks to him.  He is a great Captain to my little man and I am so blessed that Carter has such a strong role model to watch and learn from.  Hopefully Carter will learn determination, humor, and love from his Captain.

Meeting Captain and Gigi on his birthday

 
I love you Daddy and am so blessed to have you in my life and the strong relationship that we share!  I couldn't ask for more!  Thank you for being such a role model and loving father and helping guide me down the right paths in life.  You are truly the best man I know!  I love you!