Feliz Dia de los Padres

Today I was blessed to share an afternoon with three of my four brothers, my Dad, step mom, and kids... all under one roof. The typical shenanigans of golf, family jokes, and childhood stories always make me smile. Buffalo sliders, mango salsa, steaks and veggies were consumed, followed by ice cream over brownies topped with homegrown blackberries.  YUMMY!!! The absolute best part was seeing my dad smile and be happy around all his kids. 


My favorite memories involving my dad all took place during my childhood years. Every summer we went on backpacking camping trips, sometimes on horseback, sometimes not.  He took me to see my first musical, "Annie" when I was 12. He taught me how to ride a bike, how to build cabinets, how to grow a vegetable garden, how to play the drums, and so many other things I could never list them all. My parents divorced when I was less than a year old but my father never missed a weekend visitation and made sure that I had some experiences growing up that I would treasure for a lifetime. He brought me on vacations to places like Maui, Boston, Mazatlan, Canada, and made sure I knew all my relatives who live back East. When I got married, he paid for the wedding, the honeymoon, and walked me down the aisle. Although the marriage didn't last, the bond we made strong that day will remain in my heart. 


We have not always seen eye to eye, in fact, there were many years we did not speak or attend the same functions, but we never stopped loving one another. My father is one in a million and I am surely blessed to be his one and only daughter. So dear dad, thank you for everything you have done for me, the lessons you have taught me and the experiences you have allowed me to have. I love you so much.