The Father of all Fathers

When I think of a hero, I think of my dad. He may not be a "hero" in every sense of the word, but to me he is someone I look up to, adore, and love more than words could ever say. I like to think I won the lottery of all lotteries when it comes to dads.

My earliest memories are of time spent with my dad. Playing on the pontoon boat, driving to school every day playing the "opposite game" and on special occasions getting to take the "hippety-hoppety road". Throughout high school and beyond, my dad has been my rock. Someone I can always count on  to answer the phone when I'm sad, happy about something exciting, when I was in need of anything (usually money), or when something goes wrong that needs fixing. Whatever it is, he's always been there to help me sort it out.

 Deep thoughts at the ballpark with his #1 fan.

Drying off from the pool in daddy's t-shirt! I was still having difficulty growing hair. 

All dolled up for Uncle Mark's wedding!

Walks through the apartment complex. I'm sure there were some deep convos taking place. 

Before I left for college, I would regularly and mysteriously get applications from all of the in-town colleges that I wanted nothing to do with. Someone was trying to get me to stay. When I went away to college, I would regularly get panicked phone calls every few days if I hadn't spoken with dad. "Kelly, are you alive!?! I haven't spoken to you in a few days." Of course, I always was. And lets face it, I was only an hour away.

Then I graduated college. After dad helped me through a heartbreak, I broke his heart when I dropped the bomb on him that I was moving. Moving far, far away to a big city called Chicago. For what? I had no idea. I just knew I needed to start fresh. So without too much resistance, he helped me pack up the U-Haul and once again moved me to another city. Only this one was big and scary. I know it wasn't easy by any means for him, yet he never said, "don't do it."

He yet again helped me sort through my problems and misguided decisions as I tried and failed a few times at starting my post-college life in Chicago. Throughout my 20's as always, dad was always there. Even from another state, I could count on him to make me laugh from the way he posts on Facebook, to his idiosyncrasies over phone conversations, to the way he dotes on me when I come home. There was the time I broke my nose in Chicago from my good ole knee giving out and ended up in the ER. I was home to MI two days later for the holidays with a black and blue face and a swollen knee. I immediately plopped on the couch only to have dad staring across the living room at me saying, "What do you need? Ice? Asprin? I have asprin. Let me get you some asprin. You need water? I'll get you water. Here's a cup of water for you." (I kid you not, this string of sentences came out without a response from me). To this day, when I make the drive home from Chicago, he always "takes my car for a spin" to check the oil, the engine, and fill up the gas tank.

Before graduating a second time.

Then I met the man of my dreams in Chicago. My dad has always been supportive of me finding the love of my life, unlike some dad's who are extremely overprotective of their girls. No, my dad has wanted nothing more than for me to find a man, get married, and make him a grandchild.  Since I was 22. I know by the time I reached my late 20's he was starting to think there was no hope for me. He says he remembers when I called him after my first date with Adam. And he knew then that it was something big. If only Kelly can sucker this guy into actually marrying her.....

With this hand-off goes my daughter on her own cell phone bill....

Of course, I did manage to sucker him into it, and then even better, managed to get knocked up the first weekend we were married! Wooo-hooo! Double whammy for Grandpa Dan! The icing on the cake has been the type of man I found to spend the rest of my life and start a family with. Not only who he is, but the relationship he also has with my dad. While Adam never fails to tease me about it, I know he understands and looks up to the closeness of our relationship. I could not have asked for anything more than when my dad calls for our usual conversations at night and Adam will willingly jump on the phone to catch up as well.

Now as we venture into having our own daughter, I want nothing more than for Adly and Adam to experience the same relationship I got to experience with my own dad. And I don't think I could've picked a better man to step up to that plate.

So with that, I say Happy Father's Day to all the amazing fathers out there, especially the ones in my life.