My Heart Keeps Calling Me Backwards : Father's Day 2012

Last weekend my brothers and I went to spend the afternoon with my dad. It was a really great day!

When I showed up I walked into the workout of the century. 

My dad is pretty crazy about crossfit and my little brother joined him.

He immediately exclaimed, "I can't talk right now - it's brutal!"

After that was done we all headed out to the pool area to relax. 

It's not very often that I choose to spend my time basking in the sun all day, but this exception was really quite nice. We lazed about in the pool for a while, then my dad opened his gifts. 

After making an effort to find a gift online without any luck, I decided to have a last minute arts and crafts session.

 I'm so glad I did. I had fun making this, and it was much more thoughtful than anything I would have ordered. 

I'll be sharing a post about how to make these soon!

Linda made delicious dinner and mojitos. 

After that I took a really great nap in the gazebo.

The other morning I was reminiscing a bit about my favorite memories I could recall of my dad. I decided I should write them down, because my memory is pretty lousy. I thought I'd share them here:

• When I was younger my dad took me to work at his construction job. I thought it would be a good idea to make a present for my mom to pass the time. While doing so I hit my thumb hard with a hammer. It hurt terribly and I can only imagine how upset I was. He took care of me though, he made me put it in a cup of snow, and was always checking in on how it was healing.
• I was in ski club for a couple years in middle school, and one time my dad met me at the mountain and I ditched my friends and we skied together the whole night. It's one of the only things I remember about ski club, and is probably the most fun I've ever had skiing.
• We used to live on the lake, and it was always a treat when my dad would get home from work and decide to take us to Vine Valley Beach. We'd throw the noodles in the back of the truck and head down the road as the sun was setting to go swimming. It's still my favorite beach. It always makes me feel nostalgic.
• How he's always taking the scenic route and being so proud of his knowledge of backroads to everywhere.
• When we were younger my dad was completely frustrated with my brothers and me for something chore-related. He was so angry and yelled, "I'm gonna count to one! One, two, three!" We all burst out in laughter. We knew how serious he was, but how could we help ourselves?!
• I loved playing badminton in our sideyard with my dad. I was (and still am) terrible at it, but would be so proud when we could volley it for a while. One time in particular we played into the evening and that game still sticks with me.
• I used to ride bike along side him while he was running. One time I was wearing overalls and they kept getting caught in the chain and ripping, but I didn't want to have to stop riding my bike. They were my favorite overalls, and I just kept getting sadder and sadder that I was ruining them instead of stopping, because I loved riding alongside my dad. I found out later that was completely silly and I could've just rolled up one pant leg the whole time!
• My dad was always a champ for enduring me singing entire musicals by myself. He'd listen to me use 10 different voices and act out all the parts. Once he decided he couldn't stand it any longer he'd slowly turn up the radio in the car. I was always surprised how long he'd listen.
• My older brother and I used to play this computer game called 'Pole Position'. It was the only game I could ever beat him at, because I had a special trick of using some different keys on the keyboard. My brother would always prod me to let him in on the winning secret. My dad warned me not to tell him, and to keep it to myself. I finally broke down and showed him the secret, and I never beat him again. I should've listened to my dad.
• Watching my dad watch sports is always quite the experience.
• I remember it taking him so long to feel comfortable dancing. He'd go for most of the dance just trying to work up the courage to get on the dance floor in his cowboy boots. When he finally did get warmed up, the dance would be over! The funny thing is that I'm the exact same way.
• One time he brought home all these metal pipes and made a deal with me: if I clean them up and get all the handles off, then he would pay me something like $50 per hour! He didn't need to say anymore to me - I went for it! I worked for a little over an hour and he took me with him to scrap the metal, gave me my cut, and then made me buy him ice cream on the way home!
• I went to college in Colorado right after high school. I wanted to have my car at school, so my dad drove across the country with me! It was a lot of fun and he kept calling things funny names. He would call my pontiac sunfire "the firebird", our hotel room was "our apartment", and red lobster was "the slobster". Once we made it to Denver we debated how Purina was pronounced (I was right). That was one of the best road trips.
• Whenever I have car troubles my dad is always helping me out. One time he came to my apartment to fix my car in the middle of winter, laying on my dirty garage floor, holding a flashlight in his teeth, all while power steering fluid dripped on his forehead. Any guy who would go through all that to fix his daughter's rust bucket car is quite the dad!
• When AAA kept me waiting to get my car towed for 3 hours my dad drove 45 minutes to come get me so I wouldn't have to wait any longer (or drive home with that terrible tow truck driver). Not only did he drive all that way, but he took me to my favorite ice cream place on the way home.
• When things didn't work out for me in Colorado he let me know that he wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't finish out the school year and came home. That meant everything.

My dad has always stuck up for me and offered a hand when I was in too much of a rut to pull myself out. He's always been supportive of decisions I've made. We have definitely had our share of disagreements, but when it really matters, my dad has been there. He's hardworking and encouraging. He wasn't always the dad that I thought I wanted him to be, but he has always been the dad that I needed. Thanks dad. I love you.