my failures, memories and blessings on father's day

i have to admit that when it comes to celebrating today, i was a big fail. i had the perfect gift project in mind, my intentions huge. but then i started having trouble finding the things i needed for the project both in town and online-they were pretty important parts of the project. so to daddy and papa...i still have great intentions but it's going to be a little late. that wasn't all though, i was supposed to be up early to tend to the girls and we fully intended to make a great breakfast in bed for daddy. we did in fact have everything we needed. except for the energy on my part to actually get out of bed. we had a really big day yesterday. and i'm not as young as i used to be so let's just say that i was not in fact the parent who got up early today. but the girls and i will make that fabulous breakfast, some day.

ok now that i've gotten that out of the way...when it comes to acknowledging the father figures in my life, i have a lot to say!

i was lucky enough to be able to know one of my great grandfather's. even cooler than that, kelley got to meet him i don't know of many people who had the blessing of meeting their great-great grandfather's. she was pretty little and doesn't remember but we have pictures to share. in fact we had a five generation portrait done and even bethany was a part of that in my growing belly.

a little known fact about me, i actually have had six grandpa's, three on each side. sadly my birth grandpa's weren't in my life as much as i would have liked. i did get to spend time with my mom's dad when i was a little girl and i have very clear memories of that. my dad's dad came into our life when i was an adult. we had a few years with him and both girls got to know and remember him. bethany especially loves and misses her poppy. i wish we had more time together, but the time we did have was a blessing.

my second grandpa's on each side, well i didn't get to have them in my life long at all. i have one memory of my grandpa cook and it was a good memory. he was much loved in our family. when i was four he disappeared on a fishing trip. he was never found. i don't believe i ever met my other second grandpa.

my third set of grandpa's have been around for most of my life. grandpa cliff joined our family when i was just starting school. most of my fun times with him have been during camping trips. and when i was diagnosed with cancer, he and my grandma were just leaving from a visit with us. they turned around and helped care for the girls during that awful time. one of their good memories of that time was when the easter bunny found them on a camping trip. i'm pretty certain that grandpa cliff clued the easter bunny in on their location.

that leaves my grandpa roger. he was my grandpa when i was born and proved to be a miracle shortly after that. he had what should have been a fatal heart attack and a good samaritan found him and likely saved him with CPR. his recovery was from what i was told pretty rough, so much of his heart was damaged that his survival truly was a miracle. and he lived a long life after that. sadly he passed away this past spring but not before giving me and the girls wonderful memories. i spent my lifetime with him and there is so much i want to share, but as i type this out my eyes are beginning to fill with tears. i will just stop here and let you know that i couldn't have been more blessed with a grandpa and it was a miracle.



no father's day can pass without thinking about my dad. there's so much to tell about him. most importantly is that outward appearances can be very deceiving. my dad for many years was a football coach and he has what most football coaches probably have-a booming voice. this voice can be very intimidating. but once people get to know him they are often surprised at what a kind and loving person he is. it was not uncommon for him to help his player's out in ways that maybe their parents couldn't. a big example of that was helping his less fortunate players get into college when their life outside of football have ended and they likely were destined to lives of crime. he's also a teacher and there's been plenty of times that people will acknowledge that their teacher was my dad. and to be honest sometimes i cringed, not sure i wanted to hear what they thought of him. every single time though...they loved him, even some who were never the type to take school seriously. no doubt he has touched many, in a positive way throughout his career.

as a dad, well there were plenty of times that we butted heads. he and i are alike and different all at the same time. he is the most organized man on earth and has a schedule for everything. in fact i probably was potty trained way earlier than most because of course that too was on a schedule. me, i'm not so motivated or organized and that likely drives him nuts. growing up he was pretty strict and i was pretty mouthy and determined to do my own thing. i spent a lot and i mean a lot of time grounded. but it wouldn't be fair of me to not mention the times he went over and above for me.

every holiday was perfect and still is. he made sure that santa was good to me in the most magical of ways. same with the easter bunny, i was hunting for easter eggs and baskets long after i could drive. and speaking of driving, i had my dream car for my 16th birthday-a 1966 mustang. he taught me to drive without ever losing his cool. as a preteen and early teen every summer he would take a carload of me and my friends to a water park. the entire he day he let us go and have fun and if he ever checked up on us, i never knew about it. another tradition were amusement parks and rollercoasters-we road every one over and over. (however when it came to spinning rides, that was where my mom came in-he does have a weak stomach). we've traveled a lot and thanks to him i've seen great sites from hollywood to new york city. and pets, just to show you his softer side...he buried everyone of our pets with tears.

along the way dad became "papa". and some of his ways have changed. the strictness? not anymore...grandkids are for spoiling. and kelley and bethany definitely are spoiled. he has already in their short lives filled them with a lifetime of fun and special memories.



it's pretty obvious that i have the best dad ever. =)

and finally on father's day i have to mention kelley and bethany's daddy too. you would never realize that this man who is tough in so many ways could also be a fun daddy to two little girls. when they break out the make up, nail polish and hair goo...they don't come running my way. nope their daddy gets the makeovers. he's the one who makes the pancakes they love so much. he's the go-to science guy. the one who calms the inevitable bumps and bruises (because i'm panicking with the girls). he's also big on manners and pretty strict, wanting the girls to grow up to be respectful and successful adults. and all of this amazes me because sadly his childhood was nothing like this. he has had to overcome his own less than ideal (to put it mildly) childhood to be the best he can be for his children.



so there you have it, as you can see when it comes to father's day i have lots of blessings and thanks for indulging me in sharing them.