Daddy Day!

Yesterday was Father’s day and Husbie and I treated my Daddy to a bucket full of beer, whiskey, popcorn, chocolate, licorice and Django Unchained. Golf was on the TV, and we had BBQ ribs for dinner. It was relaxing and it was perfect – although I’ll never understand the appeal of golf (sorry Dad)! It was a great way to celebrate our love for a man who will do anything for his family. My Dad worked tirelessly as a business owner when we were growing up to give us access to things that he didn’t have as a kid. He taught us that success only comes after hard work. He pushes us to be the best we can be in everything we do. Out of three kids I’m his only daughter, I love him fiercely and I’ll always be his little girl!

Some noteworthy things about my dad:

• He was an original hipster. He rocked a blonde perm, plaid shirt and short shorts, topped with an impressive mustache.
• He pursued my mama even after she turned him down the first time he asked her out! My mama thought he was a troublemaker and she may have been right because he’s never stopped being an instigator 🙂 He likes to joke, tickle, poke, prod and tease.
• He passed on to me his stubbornness, his desire to always be right, his strong work ethic, his outspokenness, his high level of cleanliness at home, his soft heart, his love of classic rock, a good drink and big outdoor bonfires, his lead foot when it comes to driving anything that moves (vehicles, quads, snowmobiles), and his taste for wild meat.
• He built us a tree house, made us a garden, took us on infinite snowmobile and quad rides until we learned to drive them ourselves, taught us that it’s a BAD idea to put hairspray cans in a burn barrel, put on a fireworks show for us every new years eve, spent hours playing Sega and Playstation while us kids watched and cheered him on (anyone remember the water level on Sonic or a little Ghouls ‘n Ghosts action?), and taught us to skate and flooded a rink for us every winter in the backyard.
• He tried so hard to get me to like sports! He convinced me to try baseball which was an EPIC fail (anyone else afraid of the ball??), and after I declined soccer, hockey, hunting, waterskiing and downhill skiing (until skiing in Big White on our last family trip convinced me otherwise), he realized that his two sons would have to be the sporty kids in the family and supported me when I decided to do the artsy thing like my mama!
• He loves to see his kids succeed without his help, but is wonderfully generous with his help when we don’t insist on it or ask for it. He often surprises us with his generosity.
• He was proud of me for moving out at age 18 and even more proud when I never had to move home again 🙂 (This benefited us both since our personalities are almost identical and I was quite a stubborn teenager that never wanted to listen.)
• He’s a hunter, which means I get to enjoy deer and moose meat on a regular basis. It’s DELICIOUS and quite healthy.
• He was the first one to own and drive the 2010 Camaro SS in Alberta. He loved cruising up and down Jasper Avenue to watch people point and stare, and he’d take me ripping down rural roads near the acreage at neck breaking speeds.
• He’s turned into the biggest softie I know after becoming an Opa! I never thought I’d see the day that my Dad would be down on all fours crawling after my niece or climbing into a small child-sized tent playing peek-a-boo. His tough-guy act has been ruined forever. Can’t wait for the day when he gets to be an Opa to my (future) kiddos!

Love you forever and always Dad! Happy Father’s day!