Learning to Fly: Reasons Why, part two

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Reasons Why, part two

I wrote last month about how I have the greatest mom ever. It should come as no surprise, then, that I also have the greatest dad ever. (I mean, like it would be any other way?)

Here are ten reasons why.

1. Hello, goodbye. Whenever I'm home and he has to leave early to go out of town, he wakes me up to say goodbye. This is very brave because I am not a morning person but I don't think he's ever not done it.

January 1984

2. Mr. Fix It. My dad can build and fix anything. This means computers, cars, and buildings. Our house is full of things he has built, from our deck, screened porch, and pool to our playroom and hardwood floors. We rarely if ever had to have "professionals" work on anything because he always knew how, or, would figure it out as he went. (Directions not necessary.)

3. My hero. I wrote about this before I think, but in the sixth grade I was upset that he didn't come back to my classroom after graduation so he came home on his dinner break and brought me a rose. To this day it's my favorite rose ever.

Dancing at my cousin's wedding, spring 2001

4. Dorkdom. Apparently Daddy didn't like that I called me and mom dorks in my mother's day post. Mom explained that it's a good thing in our minds, which it is, and it's also undeniably true. Well, I'm sorry Daddy, but you're a dork too, and a good one. He likes to read the weather and news stories out loud from the internet and still checks NORAD every Christmas Eve to see where Santa's at. He also can watch the NASA channel or C-SPAN for a very long time. (Both of which I have now done too, it must be genetic.)

NC Mountains, fall 2001

5. Letting go. His blind faith in me and understanding of why I live away from home and do what I do helps me do both.

6. Importance of family. He loves us so much and I just know he would do anything for us. He has set an amazing example not just for my brother, but for my sister and I as well, of what a man, father, and husband should be.

After high school graduation, May 2002

7. Pyromaniac. He has taken the practice of amateur fireworks and elevated them to an art form. And still has his vision and all his fingers. (Knock on wood.) It's not the Fourth of July without either a jumbo set of fireworks from Sam's or a variety of less-than-legal goods from South Carolina, with Daddy, and Joey, huddled together coordinating each act for maximum effect. And then running away not quite as briskly as I would like.

Fourth of July 2009

8. Just us. When I was younger we weren't supposed to go shopping together because we'd always come back with something expensive. (A swingset, motorized car.) He would only listen to the oldies station in his truck and I fell in love with a number of those songs on the long rides to and from camping trips. When he had a day off in the summer he would take Joey and I to the army surplus store or Lowe's. He picked me up just about every other weekend my freshman year of college.

9. Dog lover. Though not crazy about our first dog, Peanut, he helped mom, Joey, and I get through the summer he got really sick and then when he died a few years later. And now he's just a big ol' softie with our current dogs, Peanut and Dimples. He is wrapped around their little paws, talking to them and spending ages petting them.