My Dad is My Superhero

My dad and I (circa '73/'74, I was 2)

When I was a little girl, what I wanted more than anything in the world was to grow up and be just like my dad. I was in awe of him! He was handsome, smart, confident, strong, able to fix most anything I broke, funny, and he loved me. How could I not want to be like him? I was a Daddy's girl, through and through.

As I got older into my teen years and early 20s, I still looked up to him. I began to see that he wasn't as perfect as I imagined. In fact, he was flawed. Not in a detrimental way, but he would make mistakes. He would piss me off. We would argue. We once had an argument that had me fuming for weeks. Yet, despite all of the flaws and irritations, I loved him. I still wanted to be like my dad. I was a Daddy's girl, through and through.

Dad and I goofing around on a flight to California, 1987.

Then, when I was nearly 25 and I attempted suicide, I discovered my dad was even stronger than I knew. He and my mom supported me as I healed physically and mentally. He was there for me. I saw the emotional toll my actions took on him. The pain I caused him, and it broke my heart. At one point, I realized he thought I took him for granted. He couldn't have been further from the truth. It took a while, but I made sure I let him know that he was who I wanted to be, still. I was still a Daddy's girl and always would be. And, we healed together, as father and daughter, and as a whole family.

Dad and I in Nashville, 2001. 

Throughout my life, my dad imparted important lessons for me. He showed me how a man treated a woman by how he treated my mom, his mom, and all the other women in his family. My dad taught me what responsibility meant and how to accept it, even if that wasn't what you wanted to do. He demonstrated for me the importance of family by putting us first at all times. Through his actions, he revealed what it means to treat everyone with respect.

My dad is a wonderful man. He is my superhero. He has always been that to me. As an adult, I can now see that he was never perfect, not always confident, not able to fix everything, though he tried, but he loved me. He still loves me, and I love him!

Now, my dad is a grandfather. He adores his grandchildren, and they adore him. I am so thankful that God blessed me with such a wonderful dad and my girls with such a great grandpa.

My dad holding my daughters! What a fabulous grandpa he is! :)

Happy Father's Day to my superhero, my dad! I love you!

Wrangling a Toddler for Mommy Time

Ready to leave for Mommy Time

Earlier this week, I decided that Thursday morning (today) would be a great time for a Mommy and Ginny date. We had one a couple of weeks ago and felt we were due for a new one.

What I didn't count on was how tired I would be this morning. I woke up early because the baby was fussing and hungry. If I had my way, I would have been single and childless just for a couple of hours this morning so I could snuggle in bed and not move. Then again, had I been single and childless, I wouldn't have felt the need to do that because I would have had a decent night sleep. Last night, Grace, my seven-month-old, woke up around 9 p.m. and didn't want to go back to sleep. In fact, she did not get back to bed until sometime after 11. She then proceeded to wake me again at 12:30 a.m., 4 a.m., and 6:45 a.m. My lovely toddler, Ginny, wasn't feeling well and woke up crying around 9:30 last night and would intermittently wake and cry until close to 11. A long night.

Luckily, Ginny woke up in great spirits. She still has a cold, but is also full of smiles. For a good portion of the morning, I debated the merits of staying home and being a completely useless blob versus taking Ginny out for some Mommy time. When my husband asked me if I was still going out with Ginny, I relented, deciding that I might as well get out of the house for a little bit.

Ginny loves getting in the car and going for a drive. I told her that we were going to go shopping and then to the library. She kept exclaiming, "Going for a drive." Once in the car, she sat happily and all seemed well with my plans as we headed for the hub of shopping activity in my small town, the local Walgreens.

Ginny, once I wrestled her into the cart. 

After arriving at Walgreens, I was a mean ogre mommy who insisted that she hold my hand as we walked from the car to the store. Being two, my lovely daughter made sure to let me know what she thought of this by letting her legs turn to jelly. Eventually, we made it into the store at which point I dealt with a crying, screaming beast, who looks vaguely like Ginny, who didn't want to get in the little cart. Walking around wasn't an option since she already expressed her displeasure of holding my hand in the parking lot. I was able to wrestle her into the cart. It took quite a bit of effort, and the looks on some of the employees faces made it worth it. Once I had her in the cart, she calmed down and was happy to help me shop. We picked up what I needed and as we were going to the check out, we happened down the candy aisle. The first word out of my little munchkins mouth was "Chocolate?" Jokingly, I said, "Oh, do you want chocolate?" Ginny replied, "I want chocolate!" Because I opened my big mouth, with what sounded like an offer, I felt like I needed to get her some. I picked up a small bag of M & Ms for her, then paid for the Father's Day cards and hair color.

Riding a bike in the library.

From Walgreens, we headed over to our local library. The library is quite small, but it does have a good selection of childrens' books. My daughter, who loves to read, did not notice the books for a while. She was too enchanted with the toys they had there for her to play with. I let her play as I looked at the books and chose a few for us to bring home. Amazingly, I was able to drag her away from her fun so I could get a couple of books for myself. We then checked the books out and headed home.

She found a book, on her own!

Despite the difficult start of our time together, Ginny had a smile at the end. I guess that is what matters most. Maybe that and the fact that I have more books to read.

Beware of the Evil Rabbits

My dog, Daisy Mae, was born and raised in Florida. It was just she and me against the world living in an apartment. There was no backyard. Going outside meant waiting for me to put her on the leash and go for a walk.

Overlooking her lands

During her time in the Sunshine State, Daisy encountered only three types of wild animals: lizards, frogs, and squirrels. If she was at the window or sliding glass door and saw them, she would go absolutely nuts! She had to get to them. The whines and jumping around were non-stop until the animal disappeared or I appeased her need by taking her outside.  Once we were outside, she would either chase right after the animal or do a slow stalk to the animal and then chase it. All she wanted to do was play with the animal. She meant the poor animals no harm, but they didn't know it and would run away. 

There was one time when Daisy actually did "catch" a lizard. She had cornered it in my parents' screened in pool area. Daisy kept pawing at the poor little thing waiting for it to try and run so she could try and catch it again. Unfortunately, the pawing resulted in the lizard's death; something beyond my dog's understanding. I had to remove the lizard so she would leave the dead thing alone.

Since moving up to Illinois, we have yet to encounter any frogs or lizards and very few squirrels (on last count, about four). What we do have in abundance are rabbits. Lots and lots of fluffy little bunnies. I've never seen so many rabbits in my life. Each time I go for a walk, I will see at least three of them. No matter how we try to fill the holes under our fence, a rabbit always finds a way into our fenced

On patrol

backyard. 

Daisy loves the rabbits. They mean she has a reason to play and run at full speed after them. We've had several this spring already. In fact, we even had four baby bunnies under a weather observation station out back. (Amazingly, Daisy didn't notice them but did notice the mama and chased her away.)  

Now that the weather is warmer, Daisy has taken it upon herself to guard our yard from these heathen animals. She goes out several times a day to patrol the fence line, making sure not a rabbit comes into the yard. Once that is done, she will sit on the deck and over look "her lands." She wants to protect us from any evil rabbits. She has a job to do, and it is one she enjoys. Even now, she is whining so that I let her outside so she can "guard" the yard from the danger that the rabbits will cause. As she goes outside, I'm sure she is thinking to herself, "Beware of the Evil Rabbits." Or, more likely, "I hope I see a rabbit so I can chase it!"