Today is my father’s birthday and because of that, my post today is dedicated to him. This is slightly ironic because my dad is a pretty private guy and I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m nuts for blogging about my life secrets. (Although if my previous posts are my life secrets then my life is pretty boring. I still have some secrets :) ) I don’t even think he reads my posts, however I can always count on my mom to print them out and badger him until he does!
Although there are many to choose from, I’ve picked a few of my favorite memories with my father over the years. Enjoy!
I used to work for my brother in my brother/father’s pet store. One day I was going about my business when I noticed a pet carrier sitting on a shelf in a rather odd place. I looked in the carrier and found the cutest gray and black kitten. I knew my dad would know what to do so I found him and told him about my discovery. He looked surprised, thought about it for a few minutes, and then suggested that I call my mother to see if we could bring the cat home for the night so that we could clean him up and find him a home. I was to emphasize that it would only be one night. I called my mom, pleaded, and was ecstatic when she said yes. We took the kitten home and after a bath, he was white and grey and super cute. Of course the kitten stayed for more than one night. He stayed for years. Years later I learned that someone had found the kitten and brought it to work to see if they could find a good home for it. My dad had set the whole thing up, knowing that my mother wouldn’t tell me no. Pretty sneaky!
We had just moved into our new house in AZ and my parents came out to help us unpack. I had purchased these amazing, huge clock hands that were meant to hang on the wall with numbers placed around them. Mr. C and my dad were in charge of putting it up. I had painted wooden numbers for the 12, 3, 6, and 9. The clock was going up pretty high on a wall so Mr. C put up the letters from the ladder and my dad told him when they were positioned correctly. After instructing Mr. C on how to put up the last number, my dad said something to the effect of “good, now it looks like they are all windblown.” Apparently he thought it would be better if the numbers were not level. Mr. C was terrified (his wife can be a bit picky sometimes). This perfectly describes his way of doing things. It might not make sense to you but it sure is interesting! We've never changed the numbers. I guess I like looking at them and knowing how they came to be offset.
Every birthday he calls to sing me happy birthday. He used to wake me up singing this in his most off-key voice. This year he sounded pretty good. He better be careful or we'll start to think he actually has a good voice! My birthday song is always one of the highlights of my birthday. I’m not sure if anyone sings to him so we better get on that!
I can’t possibly end this without mentioning my wedding. At the rehearsal my dad was joking around. When it came time to hand me over to Mr. C at the rehearsal, he kind of veered me in the right direction and walked away, acting like it was no big deal. He had agreed to read a poem (something that still shocks me to this day) and made jokes as he was reading. The next morning flew by and before I knew it, it was time to walk down the aisle. My dad looked very stern and seemed to take a little bit longer handing me over this time. As he began his reading later in the ceremony, I was shocked to hear his broken up voice. I’ve always seen my dad as a loving but strong man who doesn’t really let anything get to him. For some reason, that just pulled at my heart. My dad hates pictures but managed to go through all of the crazy wedding photos with a smile…or half smile towards the end. The whole day just reminded me how much he would do for me. One of my very favorite moments was the bride/father dance. It’s a moment I believe I will remember vividly forever.
So, Happy Birthday to my wonderful father! I’m so lucky that God sent me such a wonderful father and I celebrate that on your birthday.
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