my dad

my dad, the original hipster, both pictures with my adorable older sister, jenah.

i have plenty of issues, but i think i can honestly say that daddy issues are not some of them. today is dad's day, and i am so lucky to have three great fathers in my life - my baby daddy (Doug), my father-in-law, Dave, and the dad i want to mention here, Larry.

some things you should know about my dad:

• he's very athletic (i did NOT get this trait). my sisters and i would try to get him to do "tricks" all the time, one of my favorite being walking on his hands. i have a very clear memory of him doing this for what seemed like an eternity on a gym mat at the high school where he worked.
• he's a good combination of reckless and careful. this always made him the preferred parent to take along in the car when i was learning to drive. he panics on very few occasions.
  
• my mom said that when he was younger and would babysit his nieces, he'd let them stay up until the moment he'd see their parents driving up the driveway, then he'd make them run into bed and pretend they were asleep. she laughs when she tells anyone this since she knows he did the exact thing with us when she'd leave the house. i really am amazed by this now as a parent, since i'm far too greedy with a need for my own space and time.
  
• his outrageous breakfast involving dr. pepper while my mom was grocery shopping is a legend between my sisters and i.
  
• he is an excellent photographer, but switched to a more humble profession as a custodian at the local high school while we were kids so that he could be around us growing up and wouldn't have to work over the weekends. before i was in school, he worked the night shift and would spend his mornings hanging out with me. i remember lying down on the couch and watching mister rogers on pbs during our morning nap.
• with four women in the house, he's an excellent listener. i swear, that man hasn't gotten a word in edgewise for 30+ years! when he'd come home from work at night and we'd be eating dinner at the table, there would be a lot of clucking, giggling, SCREAMING and he'd just sit there quietly with a smile on his face. along these lines, i also can't remember a time where i felt he was tuning me out. doug is also like this, and i think it has a lot to do with my own father placing an importance on listening to people.
  
• i love getting the chance to see my dad play on the ground with my own child. i think it's probably because those are some of my favorite memories with him.
  
• he's got a gentle spirit and a kind heart. i hear stories of how his father treated him and it blows my mind that he has any ability at all to be the good dad that he is. he's real, without any guile, and those traits cannot help but make you love him.

i am so lucky dad, happy father's day!