Happy Father's Day!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

They say you always marry someone just like your dad and I don’t know if that is true for everyone, but I can certainly see the similarities between my father and my husband, and I can say with great certainty that my daughter found someone who we all say reminds us of my husband.  My dad was a history teacher and high school basketball coach turned sporting goods salesman.  He had a great sense of humor and loved reading, museums, dry martinis, peanut M & M’s, crossword puzzles, and his daughters.  He wore his hair in a crew cut for as long as I can remember and the top of his hair was incredibly soft.  When we traveled as a family, he spent weeks planning our trip and found all kinds of things to do along the way.  Unfortunately for me, many of the stops we made were to museums and to this day, I hate museums with every fiber of my being.  Sorry dad!  If Joe Schmo invented it or built it, we had to stop and see where he lived.  I will never forget when we had to stop along the way to California to see Brigham Young’s house and when they told me the good news, I said, “Who is Brigham Young and why do I have to see where he lived?” 

 

On most trips, my dad would eventually pay me to be quiet in the car, because for an active child it was not easy being cooped up in a car, and I probably could not stop talking about the adventures that awaited us….”why do we have to go see where Abraham Lincoln went to school?….will there be a pool at the hotel?…..why do we have to go see some stupid guy named Mark Twain’s house?.....will there be a pool at the hotel?.....Hearst Castle sounds dumb……will there be a pool at the hotel?”  As far as I was concerned, it was a win win situation, because sometimes if I kept the questions up, my mom and sister donated to the “quiet game” and I would have enough money to spend at the cheesy gift shops along the way that I loved.  Personally, I would have been just as happy going to California and stopping at every Stuckey’s along the way and skipping all the other stuff, but my dad seemed to think that wasn’t good enough for a family vacation.   If it weren’t for my dad, I never would have seen the Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Hearst Castle (which turned out to be great), Lombard Street in San Francisco, or Yellowstone National Park, because if they had done only what I wanted to do, we would have been in the pool all day, or horseback riding, or shopping, or holed up somewhere eating one Pecan Log roll after another.

 

So, what was I thinking when I married a guy who loves museums, history, and reading, and has a similar sense of humor?  Apparently, our daughters take after me, because the first time we took them to the Smithsonian was our last time going as a family. John walked around excitedly pointing out this and that, and my oldest followed behind saying, “who cares and how soon until lunch?” and the youngest wanted to know where the gift shop was located.  I think it was right after we got to the section about Prehistoric Man and one of them said, “he looks like daddy when he gets mad,” and we all started laughing, that my husband turned around and said we were leaving and never coming back again.  I don’t know if he expected us to be sad and contrite, but I think we all high fived each other and the oldest said, “promise," and I added, "Thank the Lord!” 

 

My mom is convinced that all daughters love their dad best and there have been times I would have to agree.  Oh sure, I know my daughters love me to the moon and back, but it is their dad who they go to for reassurance and the calmness that I don’t always provide.  Just the other day, my oldest called me about something and I gave her my advice and a day later she called and said she had talked to her father about the same thing.  When I asked her what he had said, she said he had said exactly the same thing and when I asked her who said it better, she replied, “daddy.” It is a running joke in our house and one of my buttons she likes to push and she never misses an opportunity to tell her competitive mom that her dad is perfect and I never miss an opportunity to prove I am more perfect.  I never win and frankly, I get it about daughters and dads, because I had a great one, too.

 

You really are lucky if you end up with a wonderful dad.  Not everyone does and we see examples of this every day on the news.  My daughters and I hit the jackpot with our dads and Sunday is a day to celebrate them.  I wish my dad was still here, but he has been gone since 1988.  I used to love the smell of my dad smoking his pipe and loved to go with him to the tobacco store.  I think he thought a pipe was better for him than the cigarettes and cigars he smoked when he was younger, but in the end it didn’t matter.  He was 59 when he was diagnosed with Colon cancer and 60 when it moved into his lungs and only 63 when he died.  Far too young to go, but still enough time to make a difference to three daughters and leave a void that can never be filled, because for most of us, you only get one dad.  Happy Father’s Day to all the dads who make a difference and when I get to Heaven and see my dad again, I am just praying there are no museums in the afterlife.

Christmas 1987

[FrenchPoodleDoodle]

Hayley and I do have the best Dad ever!! :) This was a good one, Mom!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Allyson, Thank you!! Wow....your dad has been through a lot in his lifetime. He sounds like a wonderful man :) If your DH is like your dad, he is going to make a wonderful husband!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Love your blog, Laurie. I hit the jackpot with my dad too!  He shouldn't be alive - he survived a car crash 10 years ago  - he suffered multiple injuries, including the "hangman's break" - neck snapped at C2 vertebra.  Most people die instantly. Well, he is alive and well and has gone on to give back so much that he was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Award a few years ago - met the president when he came here - got a photo in front of air force one.  This is just the kind of dad he is - to show his thanks for being alive, he has committed his life to giving back to those less fortunate. 

And there are many days my sis and mom look at me and say "do you know how much Dh and your dad are alike".  Yes I am realizing they are a lot alike and I just think to myself "well, I could have done a LOT WORSE".

 

 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Lisa, What a sweet picture of you and your dad. It is so hard to lose a parent. How special that Daisy came along with your dad's help. I bet he would have loved her.

Doris, Thank you for your comment. Yes, you are so lucky to still have your dad. It really is a blessing.

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

I have been out of town and off of DK since Thursday. On the way home, I saw responses to your blog on my phone and couldn't wait to read it when I got in. It's just the most perfect blog for Father's Day, Laurie. Reading it and then all of the responses makes me realize how truly blessed I am to still have my dad -- my 83 year-old rock. I just wish everyone did...

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Beautiful Tribute to Dads. My daughter and myself also hit the jackpot in Dads. Mine passed away nearly 3 years ago, Daisy was actually a gift from him of sorts, as a little of my inheritance went towards purchasing Daisy.

I miss him so. Happy Fathers Day to all of you up in Heaven.Me and Daddy 1958

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Traci, Your dad sounds like a very intelligent man if he loves Purdue :) LOL Thank you for your nice comment.

Donna, I am so glad you still have your dad and I enjoyed your story. I would have let fly too with some choice words if I spilled contact cement over my floor :) I think it was the right thing to do...LOL!!

Deanna, Oh no....a museum in heaven....thanks to your dad :) Well, it will give my dad somewhere to go every day...LOL! Wow..your dad sounds like he came into his own after he retired....amazing.

Kaytlin, Thank you for the lovely comment. Your dad was very young when he died. It is so sad when a life is cut short by cancer. So sorry that happened to your dad.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

What a nice blog about your dad.  I too have a great dad!  I'm so glad you married a man like your dad and your daughters can have the same wonderful influence that you had.  Happy Father's Day to all dad's.  BTW, Laurie my dad LOVES Purdue!  What's that tell ya?

[Donna K & Quincy]

It's wonderful to have good memories of your Dad and I know you must still miss him. My Dad is 81 and is still growing strong as a matter of fact he is in better shape than I am . I don't know where he gets the energy but he is busy with something all the time. My Dad worked away from home alot when we were kids and whenever he was home I was following him around like a puppy. He is a quiet, kind and patient man who very rarely raised his voice and when he did you knew you had gone to far. He rarely swore but one day he spilled a can of contact cement over the kitchen floor when he was trying to repair a leaky sink, man he said words I had never heard before and I was an adult at the time. I still tease him about it now because it was so out of character. Sadly they live 600 miles away so I don't see him nearly as often as I would like.

Happy Father's Day to all the human Dads and DoodleDads.

 

 

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I hate to break it to you, Laurie, but I'm certain there is at least one museum in heaven.  My dad, a high school math teacher, became a big-time historian after he retired.  He wrote two books on the history of our small California town, wrote a history column for our local newspaper, and was head docent for the town's well-regarded museum.  He LOVED taking groups of school children through the museum.  Anyway, Dad passed away two years ago this month.  That's plenty of time for him to have organized "Heaven's Museum", even if there hadn't been one before!

You're right - we who have or had wonderful fathers are so lucky!  Happy Father's Day!!!!